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#bts hybrid scenario
wishesunderthestars · 8 months
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Eunoia // Ch. 26
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eunoia (noun): beautiful thinking, the possession of a well-balanced mind, which exhibits goodwill and kindness
Pairings: Hybrid! BTS x reader
Summary: You are a world famous director and you have dedicated your life to your job.You have everything you could ever dream of; wealth, recognision, talent, your friends and family. But loneliness isn’t cured by success. So what happens when you somehow rescue seven hybrids? Can they fill the void?
Genre: Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, eventual smut
Word Count: 12.1k+
Warnings: past abuse, past sexual abuse, cursing, past violence,
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It was the second time Taehyung was in Jungkook’s atelier—only recently had Jungkook started thinking of it like that, before it was the atelier—but he was looking around him like it was a fairytale and everything was made of magic. Jungkook guessed he must have looked a little like that as well the first time you had shown him the room and told him it was his to do as he pleased. Athens and the Parthenon stretching on the wall never failed to inspire wonder and a deep respect in him, regardless of how long it had been since the first time he walked inside.
Everything else in the room was quite different from that first day. The once pristine and unused room was now splattered in paint. It was everywhere, on the floor and the cabinets and on the many newspapers that he used to cover everything. The first time he had stained the floor with paint, he had gone to you with teary eyes, lowered ears, and a hundred apologies on the tip of his tongue. You had simply laughed and told him that the room was his and he could paint the whole floor if he wanted to. The only thing you asked of him was to be careful of the wall painting. Jungkook would have never touched it in the first place.
Finished canvases were leaning against the cabinets and the walls. Most of them were of places Jungkook found beautiful, the Eiffel Tower, the Parthenon, a neighborhood in Amsterdam he had seen in one of your photos. There were also a few paintings of the pack, you and Seokjin cooking in the kitchen, Yoongi playing the piano, Namjoon and Hoseok under the large tree in the garden, Taehyung with Alice at the lake, and Jimin smiling so wide his eyes turned into crescent moons.
Jungkook longed for Jimin with an insatiable hunger. Now that he had gotten a taste of him once and Jimin told him he wanted it, now that there was no guilt and anguish, he couldn’t get enough of him. He wanted to always be touching him, holding him, and scenting him. His scent was like an aphrodisiac to him and he was addicted.
However, when Taehyung had shyly asked about his atelier, he was compelled to show it to him. It wasn’t often that Taehyung asked for anything and although he hadn’t specifically asked to see the room, Jungkook knew he would like it. Taehyung’s smile was also addicting and rare like a precious gem. So, he had left Jimin with Seokjin to cook in the kitchen and had taken Taehyung’s hand and climbed down the stairs. His hand was soft and he could still feel its ghost on his palm.
He was right, Taehyung’s smile was worth it. It was a tiny one, a small curve of his lips, but it was stunning.
His tiger ears twitched when his eyes landed on the painting of him. He approached slowly, taking it in. A hand reached out but he drew it back before it could touch the canvas.
In the painting, Alice was grinning brightly at Taehyung, one of her rainbow butterfly hair-clips clipped on his dark hair. But what Jungkook loved the most about it was Taehyung’s smile. For the first time, with Alice, Taehyung looked genuinely happy. The painting didn’t do the moment justice, he hadn’t managed to capture the tiger hybrid perfectly. He had taken a picture of the two of them and used it as reference but it was difficult, almost impossible, to immortalize Taehyung’s beauty in that moment.
“Do you like it?” Jungkook asked gently.
Taehyung startled as if the painting had enchanted him and Jungkook’s voice broke the spell. He hugged himself with one hand, almost like he wanted to stop himself from touching the painting. “It’s… beautiful.”
“It was a beautiful moment,” Jungkook agreed. “Alice is incredible, right?”
Taehyung nodded slowly. “I… have it. The butterfly. She doesn’t want back… it.”
They both looked at the painting. Jungkook wasn’t sure if they were seeing the same thing but maybe they were.
“Do you want to paint again?” he asked, breaking the silence. He took down the half-finished canvas of a beach from the easel and replaced it with a blank canvas.
Taehyung didn’t hesitate to agree this time. They picked up different brushes, chose a few tubes of oil paint and set themselves to work. Jungkook showed him how to paint a sunset—he had perfected the skill through a lot of observation and many YouTube videos. Taehyung seemed to have fun blending the colors and drawing the shapes of semi-transparent clouds.
They stayed in the atelier for a few hours until they were called for dinner by Hoseok, whose heart-shaped smile at seeing them together in their paint-splattered clothes rivaled the beauty of the sunset. After the meal, Jungkook asked if Taehyung would like to take the painting of him and Alice to his room. They hung it on the wall with Yoongi’s help and went back to the garden together.
♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩
You were filming at Monmouth Manufacturing for the day. They were the last couple of scenes you would be filming there for Season 1. Hopefully—and most probably—, you would see it again next year, or the year after that, filming for Season 2. First, you would have to finish Crooked Kingdom and then towards the end of the year, maybe you could work on the Raven Cycle. Your schedule was already crazy and you were troubled about what that meant for the next year.
A headache was brewing behind your temples and you were trying very hard to ignore it. You had been at the studios since 6 o’clock in the morning and you were going crazy. It would be one of those 15-16 hour days. You could see it coming. The executive producer of Paper Hearts had called to tell you that you were desperately needed for a board meeting for the next season. They had changed the time of the meeting to later in the afternoon to fit your schedule, which proved that it was important. You dreaded the drive to the other side of Los Angeles and what was sure to be a very long discussion.
During your lunch break, you texted Namjoon that you would be late again. He didn’t say anything but you knew he was disappointed. He had to be. You had barely spent any time with them in the past few days. There were also matters you still had to discuss. You hadn’t told the other hybrids about the thing between the three of you and they deserved to know. Your headache got worse just thinking about it.
You flipped through the script during a small break, sipping on your third cup of coffee of the day. It was making you jittery but the other option was falling asleep in your chair.
“Okay, I think we are good to move on to the next scene,” you told Will. “And then we’re done for the day.”
“Should I get someone to call the actors?”
“Yeah, see if they are done with makeup and send them in.” You rolled your neck and let out a heavy sigh. “All things considered it’s going pretty well.”
Will chuckled as he motioned for someone from the staff to come closer. “For someone who’s been here since six, you’re doing remarkably well.”
You waited for him to send the man to fetch the actors before speaking again. “We’ll see about that when we’re done with this scene. If I’m on my feet and awake by then, I deserve an award.”
Will shrugged, leaning back on his chair. “I’ve seen you do worse. Do you remember when we were filming ‘The Grand Masquerade’ in Prague? You were running on three hours of sleep a night for a week. I thought you would fall asleep during filming and wouldn’t wake up for a couple of days.”
“I was younger then,” you shrugged it off. You eyed the script again, focusing on your notes. “ I don’t have the same energy.”
“It was three years ago.”
“Three years can be a long time.”
You could understand that better than anyone, considering that this year sometimes seemed like a decade to you. In a year, your whole life had changed. You were different, everything was different from last year. Three years could be a very long time, indeed. But also the blink of an eye.
One of the actors arrived and you both greeted him. Soon, he was swept away by the movement director.
“I think you need another break,” Will declared in all of his dramatic glory.
You tapped your long nails on your plastic cup, the action was strangely soothing. “I think I need another coffee.”
“You certainly need a break,” Will insisted. “And you certainly don’t need another coffee.”
He had noticed your restlessness, then. “We just came back from a break. And there is no time for another one. After we are done here, promotions for Six of Crows begin then there is the premiere and the tour and they are getting everything ready to begin filming for Season 6 of Paper Hearts. And Crooked Kingdom is next year and I am very behind on that.”
Will’s face did that thing he did whenever he was done with you, his features slacking like he was bored and a little irritated. “You can’t be behind on something that hasn’t even started yet. Be serious.”
“I am. Deadly.”
Will rolled his eyes. “Break. You need a break.”
The rest of the actors arrived then and the subject was dropped in favor of going over the details of the scene with them. They took their places and filming began. There was a place where the scene kept being snagged and you had to go over it four times to get it right and five more to perfect it.
By the end, you were running like you were being hunted to find John and drive to the company building. The meeting as you had expected was long and tiring. At least, it was a productive one. You discussed the script, the new additions, and the schedule. You shared a few worries and disagreements you had and you mostly managed to find the middle ground. Another meeting would be held in a week before filming would officially start in a few weeks.
It was past eleven when you opened the door of the Castle. No one was in the living room, which was to be expected.
“I’m back!” you shouted, even though no one would hear you if they were in the garden. The night was warm and your skin felt stifling. Sweat dotted your forehead and the change of temperature, when you walked inside the air-conditioned Castle, sent a shock through your system. Your legs had turned to stones and you struggled to take off your shoes.
All you wanted was to fall asleep. You opened the balcony door and shouted again that you were back and that you would be in your room. You closed it before you could hear any replies.
In your room, you had to force yourself to change into your pajamas instead of falling face-first onto your bed in your dirty clothes. You didn’t have the energy to take a shower like you usually did at the end of the day. Your appetite had also disappeared. You hadn’t eaten dinner but you weren’t hungry. You were taking off your makeup in the bathroom when there was a knock on your door.
For a moment, you debated not answering but you dismissed the thought instantly.
“Come in,” you called. “I’m in the bathroom.”
You heard the door open and close again. You dragged the cotton pad roughly across your face, you didn’t have the patience to be gentle and it left your skin red. Some days it was just too sensitive.
“Are you alright?” The care in Seokjin’s voice tugged at the tight knot in your chest, loosened it. You glanced at the door but he wasn’t there.
Most of the makeup was gone from your face and you looked like a mess. You threw the cotton pads in the bin and washed your face quickly to get rid of the mascara under your eyes and any stubborn residues of makeup.
Seokjin was standing by your vanity, waiting for you. It wasn’t often that he came to your room. You weren’t used to seeing him there but it felt right.
“For someone who has been running around for more than sixteen hours, I am peachy,” you tried to joke but the delivery was lacking. It was confirmed by Seokjin’s frown.
“That’s too much, even for you. That isn’t healthy.”
“It is what it is,” you said, trying not to sound defensive. “It isn’t something I haven’t done before. And tomorrow’s schedule is easier so it’s alright.”
That didn’t seem to do anything to ease his mind. “Because you did it before, it doesn’t mean you should keep doing that.”
You rubbed your temples, your headache was getting worse. “There are things that need to get done. I can’t just stop because I’m tired. I get calls all day and my inbox is full of emails I haven’t answered yet. I have a million things on my plate, I can’t ignore them.”
“I know,” Seokjin said, his tone softer. He came closer to you and took your hand in his. The touch was grounding. You hadn’t realized you were spiraling until your feet were planted on the earth again. “We know how important your work is and how much effort you have put in to be where we are. It’s admirable and it’s incredible that you’ve managed to do all this. But your health is important too. You can’t keep running with an empty tank. You need to rest too.”
You heaved a sigh and let your head fall forward to rest on his chest. Your nose wasn’t as sensitive as a hybrid’s but breathing in the familiar sweetness calmed you. He hugged you and drew you closer to him, his hand kneading the tense muscles of your shoulders and the back of your neck.
“We missed you,” he said almost in a whisper.
“You always miss me.”
Seokjin stayed quiet but you both knew. They always missed you because you were always gone.
“You should eat something before you fall asleep. Yoongi and I made gnocchi with prosciutto and parmesan and garlic bread with mozzarella. I can bring it here but I think it would be best if you ate in the kitchen. Everyone wants to see you but they don’t want to bother you.”
The simple act of going to the kitchen sounded like climbing a mountain. Your bed looked too attractive, only a meter away and very very soft. Your eyelids were heavy with the need to sleep and yet…
“I’ll come to the kitchen,” you said. Having woken up at five, you hadn’t seen anyone before leaving. The thought of not seeing them at all today left a sour taste in your mouth. “But can we stay here? For a bit?”
Seokjin placed a tender kiss on the crown of your head. “Of course. For as long as you want.”
You lost track of time in his arms but no more than five minutes must have passed by the time you pulled back with a heavy heart. A temporary balm had been applied to the ailments of the day. You could hold yourself up for a few more minutes to eat a little, you had been doing it all day.
Your legs were as heavy as concrete walking to the kitchen. You had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, otherwise, you might just collapse. There was noise coming from the kitchen but your tired mind couldn’t register what they were saying.
You were surprised to see that everyone was there waiting for you, even Taehyung. Yoongi placed the plates in front of your seat and Jimin added the cutlery. Everyone else was sitting around the table in their usual stools.
Their greetings were quieter than usual and you guessed that they were conscious of how tired you were. You gave them the warmest smile you could master and patted Hoseok’s hair as you passed by to take your seat. The aroma of the food made your stomach growl, you hadn’t realized how hungry you had been before. Your appetite was back. Everything looked incredible as always and you couldn’t wait to dig in.
“Are you all just going to look at me while I eat?” you asked, picking up your fork.
The hybrids looked sheepish at your question.
“We just wanted to see you,” Jungkook said. “You left too early in the morning.”
You had to compose yourself to pierce a couple of gnocchi with your fork and not sigh out loud. Yoongi’s eyes were heavy on you, they were the ones you could detect with the most ease. You were the most aware of him.
“I had too much to do today. They have been bugging me from the studios for days. If I didn’t start early, I would have never finished. And I prefer an early morning to a late night. I tend to work better in the morning.”
You forced the fork to your mouth. You were ravenous but the conversation stalled your appetite.
“I would think that this was considered a late night,” Namjoon pointed out.
The taste, as expected, was heavenly. The creaminess of the parmesan sauce was tied perfectly with the savory crispy prosciutto. In your condition, you felt like it was wasted on you. As hungry as you were, you just wanted to put your fork down and go to sleep. But you couldn’t do that. You were better than that, you could eat something and then you could go to sleep. You could do that, you had done this before. Hadn’t you?
“This isn’t a late night,” you said after you swallowed the delicious bite. You had to eat another one. And another one. “Late nights can be anything from three a.m. to the next morning. This doesn’t happen often but I really had too many things to do. This is just for a few weeks because we’re moving very fast with the Raven Boys and filming for Season 6 of Paper Hearts will start soon. There are a lot of meetings and things they need my opinion on, it will actually be better once filming starts. They don’t need me as much then.”
You pushed the gnocchi around and you could tell they didn’t believe you without looking at them. It was true that your workload was heavier these days but you couldn’t exactly guarantee that it would get better soon. Filming for the Raven Cycle had been going exceptionally well and it was moving faster than you had originally planned. It would be wrapping up by the end of September or by early October at the latest. Wrapping up was a lot of work, the beginning and the end were the busiest parts.
The rest of autumn was going to be very difficult too. There was the premier as well, which added to your workload greatly. It would take up all of November and the work for it would start from October. Maybe December would be calmer. Maybe.
You ate the rest of your meal in relative silence. They didn’t talk more about you leaving early and coming back late although you knew they wanted to. Their voices were quiet as they talked about anything from witches in cartoons to color theory. You let their words play in the background like the sound from a TV as you tried to eat as much as you could.
The result was a half-finished plate of gnocchi and one less garlic bread with mozzarella. Your eyes were closing involuntarily by then, staying closed for longer periods each time. If you didn’t go to sleep now, you would fall face-first into the gnocchi.
You slid off your seat and balanced yourself on numb legs. “Thank you for this, it was delicious. But I really need to go to sleep now.”
“It’s okay,” Seokjin said, glancing at half of the food still on the plate. “You should rest.”
“At what time do you start work tomorrow?” Yoongi asked. He had been silent during your dinner and his voice rang louder than the rest to your ears.
It must have taken a few seconds to navigate the fog in your mind before you could answer. “Filming starts around nine, so I should be there by eight. Half past eight at most.”
“That’s still too early,” Hoseok said, frowning.
You waved their worries off. They had better things to worry about than the job you had been doing for half of your life. “It isn’t too early. I can sleep for a decent number of hours before I have to get ready. It’s alright, really. Goodnight, everyone. Sweet dreams.”
With effort, you dragged your body to your bedroom. You didn’t bother turning on the lights and stumbled to your bed guided only by the moonlight. There wasn’t a point in closing the blinds when you would wake up around the time the sun was rising. The light of your phone was too bright in the darkness and it made your eyes sting as you set an alarm.
A few messages caught your attention but a knock stopped you before you could open them.
“Come in,” you called, setting your phone aside. The door opened and the light from the hallway slipped in, outlining the silhouettes of the two hybrids. “Is everything okay?”
They both nodded and Jimin took a few steps into the room. “Can we sleep here tonight?”
“Both of you?” you asked, half-suppressing a yawn. Unlike Jimin, Jungkook hadn’t slept in your room before and the only time you had shared a bed was in Virginia.
Jungkook’s bunny ears drooped. “I can go, I don’t mind. I just missed you.”
“Sorry, that isn’t how I meant it.” Your surroundings were a bit blurry, the minutes stretched but were also impossibly short. It felt a little like life was a dream when you were tired like this. “Come in, both of you. And close the door behind you. It is blinding me a bit.”
They hurried inside and did as you told them. You couldn’t see them well as they moved through the darkness. They surrounded you, lying on different sides. Jimin didn’t hesitate to draw closer, throwing an arm over your stomach. Jungkook was a little stiffer on your left like he didn’t know how to situate himself. You found his hand, intertwining your fingers, and a quiet sigh escaped his lips.
It felt right, lying between them. Like that was how it was meant to be. But maybe that was the exhaustion talking, the dream realm slipping into the waking world.
“I missed you too,” you whispered. “Now sleep. I have an alarm set for the morning.”
♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩
Summer bled seamlessly into autumn. The change wasn’t apparent in the Castle, autumn had only arrived in name. The heat was still there and would remain for some time. During the days, it still made sweat drip down your temples the few times you filmed outside the studios but the nights were comfortable and moon-bright.
You had a couple of hours free between takes and nothing to do so you got into your car (John had taken the day off to spend some time with Alice) and started the engine. “Nothing to do” was a relative term of course. There were many things you could be doing, countless extra little tasks that crowded your thoughts, but you disregarded all of them. You had been spending whole days away from home and you were beginning to feel guilty about it.
On your way back, you stopped by your favorite homemade gelato shop. In San Diego, you had gone for gelato the first day and the hybrids had loved it. You had made it a habit to get gelato at the beginning of each day during ComicCon, it was your little ritual. You had ordered gelato a couple of times to the Castle as well but with eight people, it didn’t last more than a day.
There were dozens of flavors behind the display case, all of them looking delectable. You got a wide variety, remembering the flavors they liked the most. You picked hazelnut, tiramisu, chocolate chip cookie, almond, caramel, coconut, cream and sour cherry, nutella, and vanilla and asked for 1 kilo of each to be delivered to your house. It was too hot and your house was too far to transport them in your car.
You didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes outside the gate before the delivery boy arrived. You got the bags full of gelato containers from him and sent him off with a hefty tip. The Castle was a long way from the heart of the city and anyone willing to make deliveries there deserved a nice tip.
Unlocking and opening the door was a struggle but you managed. You shouted you were back and fast-walked down the stairs, the plastic bags digging into your hands. On the second level, you were faced with Jungkook, who was also climbing the stairs to reach you. He looked as if he was ready to attack you with a hug before noticing the bags.
“A little help?” you asked, raising the bags a little higher. Your arms protested loudly.
Jungkook quickly took most of the bags from you and if you hadn’t been the one carrying them before, you would have believed they were light as a feather with the way he was holding them. “What are all these?” he asked, peeking into the bags. His eyes sparkled and his smile widened in realization when he spotted the containers. “Is that–?”
“Gelato,” you said, a little proud of yourself for thinking of making the stop on your way back.
Jungkook’s steps turned into little hops. “You are the best! How much did you get? Are these all different flavors?”
“You will see…”
Jungkook made a sound close to a petulant whine. “Come on,” he said, dragging the vowels. “What are they? Did you get hazelnut?”
“We’re almost there. You’ll see in a minute.” The garden was coming into view as you climbed down to the last level but Jungkook still turned back to pout at you. “Dramatic bunny,” you muttered lowly but not low enough for his enhanced hearing not to pick it up. You didn’t mind, his giggles were cute.
At the bottom of the stairs, Namjoon and Seokjin were waiting for you.
Seokjin squeezed your wrist in greeting before saying, “He is a very dramatic bunny.”
“Hey! You should be on my side!”
Seokjin raised his eyebrows. “And why is that?” And that set off a round of bickering as they walked to the table to set down the bags.
Despite your protests, Namjoon took the last bags from you. “You should accept a little help from time to time,” he said firmly. You knew that he meant it for more than this. You decided to ignore it for now, you would overthink this later.
“Everyone, gather around! I brought gelato!” you called.
In a few minutes, everyone was gathered around the table. Hoseok, upon seeing the many containers of gelato, had done a happy dance, kissed your cheek and ran upstairs with Seokjin to get bowls and spoons. Jimin had wrapped himself around your back and was licking his lips, which was highly distracting. You shouldn’t be thinking about this.
Taehyung was the quietest one, as he usually was. He was sitting next to Yoongi, looking at all the containers with parted lips.
“I got gelato for us,” you told him. “It is really good. I got a lot of flavors so you can try as many as you want.”
“Gelato,” Taehyung repeated softly, gazing at the containers spread over the table.
Hoseok and Seokjin arrived with eight bowls, too many spoons and three ice cream scoops—you didn’t even know you had that many—and set them down around the table. You busied yourself with opening all the containers. You already knew which flavors you wanted so you grabbed one of the scoops and served yourself three scoops of ice cream.
Jimin had hooked his chin over your shoulder and wasn’t making any move to serve himself. That was up to you then.
“Which flavor do you want?” you asked him, dipping the scoop into the cup of water.
He rubbed his cheek against your shoulder lazily. “Hmmm, I think I want to try a few before I decide.”
You decided to indulge him, you liked it when he got playful and joked with you. You preferred when he was confident and asked for what he wanted. It was beautiful to witness how much he had changed through the months. You dipped a spoon into the flavors in your bowl first and brought them to his mouth. He savored each spoonful, humming and licking his full lips. He was so close to you, if you turned completely your noses would touch. How did you always end up in these situations lately?
“I want that too,” Jungkook said, pouting and pointing at your spoon. He was sitting at the bench and he had his own bowl in front of him, filled with four scoops of gelato.
“You want almond?” you asked.
“No, I want to be fed too.”
“You really are a baby,” Seokjin said. “Is that what’s going to be happening now? Whatever one has the other wants too?”
Jungkook looked away, taking his spoon again disappointed. “No, it just looked nice. It felt nice to be cared for when we were at the lake. If you don’t want to, that’s okay. I just wanted to ask.”
At the lake, you had been feeding them strawberries dipped in chocolate and your mind had run too wild. You should stop thinking about that. “I want to, you are just a little far. I can’t really reach.”
Jimin was about to say something, probably offer a solution but before he could, Seokjin had picked up Jungkook and plopped him down in his lap.
“Here, I will feed you, you big baby. Is this alright?” he asked, ever caring.
Jungkook squirmed a little but seemed pleased, a light flush settling on his cheeks. “Yes, of course.” He was as tall as Seokjin but in his lap, he looked much smaller. He opened his mouth obediently when Seokjin brought the spoon to his lips.
Your eyes strayed to Taehyung, you were hyper-aware of him whenever you were in the same place. His eyes had that look that you couldn’t understand, it was there every time you interacted with the other hybrids lately. They were telling you that he was opening up more these days but to you, he remained a mystery.
In the end, Jimin ate most of your gelato and you scooped some chocolate chip cookie into your bowl because you knew how much he liked it. Hoseok and Namjoon closed the containers and carried them upstairs, they returned and went to sit by the pool. Yoongi finished quickly and lied down under the shade of the tree closest to them. Jungkook grew sleepy and turned to the side, laying his head on Seokjin’s shoulder. Jimin joined them, hugging Jungkook from the side.
Taehyung stayed at the bench like he wasn’t sure where he should go, his empty bowl in front of him.
“Did you like it?” you asked, gesturing to his bowl. Another reminder of your shortcomings, you didn’t even know how much he had progressed in English.
“Yes, thank you,” he replied. The low timbre of his voice surprised you each time. You heard it so rarely that you didn’t get the chance to get used to it.
You should make an effort to talk to him, avoiding him would only make matters worse. But you couldn’t find anything to say. What exactly could you say to him, who had lived most of his life like a caged animal, who you had bought at an illegal auction?
Suddenly, you had the equivalent of a light bulb lighting up next to your head in a cartoon.
“Hobi told me you liked the painting of the pomegranate in the gallery,” you said then realized that pomegranate was probably a word he couldn’t understand and proceeded to explain the painting. “It has glass around it and a hand is holding it. Am I making sense?”
Seokjin looked at you amused but Taehyung nodded in understanding. “It is beautiful.”
“Right, it is,” you agreed. “The artist, the one who made it, is holding an exhibition in LA. We could go if you would like.”
You had bought the painting from her long before her fame had grown and spread. There was a magic to the way Eliana Velasco painted, everything came alive under her brush strokes. The painting of the pomegranate had enchanted you and given your history, you had to have it.
“Go?” he repeated, clearly confused.
“Yeah, to a place that has many of her paintings. You can see them there. Would you like that?” Talking to him, you were more nervous than at any of the award shows you had attended the past few years, more nervous than during any contract negotiations.
Taehyung’s eyes widened a fraction before he nodded. “Can I… see them?”
“Of course,” you said.
Jungkook stirred against Seokjin’s shoulder. “Are we going to an exhibition?”
“If you want to.”
“Are you going to be there too?” he asked and that was harder to answer. Your schedule was the busiest it had been in months and you were drowning in deadlines and responsibilities. You were saved from answering him by a notification on your phone. The numbers displaying the time showed that you were late to leave. You pocketed your phone and with quick goodbyes, you disappeared.
 You were so stupid. You had offered to take Taehyung to an exhibition when work was wrapped around you like a noose. But you had panicked. Eliana had sent you an invitation for the opening night, promising there would be French champagne and hors d’ oeuvres. You had attended plenty of her exhibitions and had many conversations about art and life and their inter-connected philosophy while drinking champagne or wine and staring at paintings.
Although Taehyung’s situation was solved and Amelia had let you know some time ago that legally you were safe, going to the opening night didn’t sound like a good idea. There would be many journalists there who would love to write a piece about you and your sudden decision to adopt so many hybrids. They could go without you another day, that wouldn’t be too bad. Taehyung looked so hopeful and now that you had said it, you couldn’t take it back. You could text Eliana and ask her if she could meet you there one day so you could introduce her to them.
You should try and get some time off.
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It was like a curse, to not be able to sleep in the very few hours you could afford to. Your bed was empty and cold and you couldn’t get comfortable regardless of how much you twisted and turned. Your limbs were too long and awkward and nothing felt right. All the wild thoughts you couldn’t be bothered with during the day showed up one after the other to be examined from every angle and set aside to pick up the next one. It was a losing battle and yet you insisted on fighting it every time before giving in, getting up and popping a pill into your mouth.
You returned the bottle to the cabinet and closed it. After Seoul, for some time it had returned to your bedside table but after a couple of weeks had passed it felt like you were admitting defeat by keeping it there. The image in the mirror was a far cry from the celebrity you were supposed to be. The darkness under your eyes formed bruises, getting worse by the day. Your skin had grown pale and your hair was a mess, you hadn’t had enough strength to braid it before attempting to fall asleep.
You considered going back to bed but the pills could take up to an hour to work when your insomnia reached its peak and you were craving a snack. Something small and sweet sounded nice.
Once again, you had returned late and eaten dinner alone. Your appetite was lacking although the food was delicious. Sometimes, it got like that when you were too tired. You had promised yourself to limit early mornings and late nights but that had changed when you had texted Eliana about the exhibition. She had offered to accompany you to the exhibition on one of the days it was closed to the public and you were more than thankful to her but that also meant that you would have to take half the day off.
The TV was on in the living room, subtitles displayed at the bottom of the screen with no sound. Namjoon was sitting on the couch, arms crossed and watching with distracted eyes. Everyone else had departed to their rooms for the night. His ears twitched as you took a few more steps and he turned to look at you.
You waved your hand, trying to offer him a smile. “Hey.”
He sat up straighter. “Hi. Why are you still awake? Do you need something?”
“Just some water. Maybe a snack.”
“You were really tired when you went to bed. Did you not fall asleep?” he asked, frowning.
You shrugged. “I couldn’t. It’s one of those nights. If I eat something, maybe I will fall asleep easier. A full stomach and all that.” You didn’t mention the pill, it was awkward to do that. “Don’t let me disturb you. I’ll just grab something and go back to bed.”
Namjoon got up and in a few strides, he was standing in front of you. He caressed your cheek, searching for something in your eyes. You weren’t sure what he could see there. “I’ll join you. Let’s sit together for a bit. I haven’t seen you properly in a few days.”
“But you must have stayed back to watch that,” you said. A documentary was playing on the TV, something about Egyptian history.
“It doesn’t matter. I would rather spend my time with you. Unless you don’t want to, then I’ll go back to the couch and be very quiet.”
You slid your hand in his, the touch grounding you in a night that felt both like you were wide awake and caught in a blurry dream. “I would like some company. I’ve missed you too. I’m–”
“Don’t say you’re sorry. There is no need for that.”
He leaned down, placing a sweet kiss on your forehead. His lips lingered for a few moments, warmth spreading inside you. You raised your head and captured his lips in a kiss. The worst part was that you couldn’t remember how long it had been since you had last shared a kiss. His lips were velvet as you remembered them. This was home. Running back and forth, you had forgotten what it felt like.
You pulled back and grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.”
In the kitchen, Namjoon stood next to you as you rummaged through the cupboards for something that looked appetizing to you. The cupboards were full and yet nothing was calling to you until Namjoon remembered that Seokjin had made ice cream sandwiches with the gelato you had bought and various kinds of cookies. That sounded like heaven so you opened the freezer and chose two of them.
You leaned against the counter, shoulder to shoulder with Namjoon, while you devoured them. Gelato might not have been the best idea to put you to sleep but they tasted heavenly. The pill would start working sooner or later.
“Is it worse today?” he asked. He didn’t elaborate further, he didn’t have to.
The ice cream sandwiches were gone and you were left holding the plate. You licked your fingers and placed it in the sink. “I have a lot of things on my mind. I should be too tired to think but apparently, I’m never too tired for that.”
“Anything in particular?”
“Everything, more or less.” You turned to the side, facing him. “There’s too much to think about and not enough time. Never enough time,” you muttered the last sentence to yourself. If you had all the time in the world it would still not be enough, you would find a way to fill it. “I’ve been putting everything off. Everything I don’t want to deal with or I don’t know how to deal with. And the longer I put it off, the worse it gets.”
He was quiet for a few seconds, taking in what you said and pondering how to reply. It was beautiful, how his mind worked and how attentive he was. “If there is any way we can help you, anything I–we can do, we will. Whatever you want to do, we will support you. Sometimes, in our head, we can make things look bigger, more scary than they are. Do you want to talk about them? Maybe if you talk about what you have to do or what you’re worried about, it will be easier to work out the best way to approach them.”
That was something your therapist used to tell you, that while things festered in your head, they would only get more tangled and more daunting. She had suggested writing them down or talking to her about them. She was right, you knew she was right and that it helped and yet you hadn’t stopped to do that.
You took a deep breath, debating if it would be better to find a notebook and figure out your mess on paper instead of dragging Namjoon into it. But there was a part of you that itched to confide in him and give in to the way you felt safe when you were together. 
“I don’t even know where to start,” you confessed.
You started slowly, with your usual worries about Taehyung, how he was adjusting and how little time you were spending with him and if that was for the best. It was the same old spiralling, you had poked and prodded at it so many times and Namjoon must have been bored of listening to the same rehashed concerns, yet he didn’t interrupt you. You unravelled steadily, once you started speaking, you couldn’t stop. There was the filming for the Raven Cycle, the final touches of Six of Crows, the premiere and the weeks of promotions and the anticipation for the reviews of the critics and the audiences. The book you hadn’t finished and the deadline you couldn’t meet.
You rubbed your hands over your face. It had been so long since most of those problems had surfaced and you were ashamed that you hadn’t faced them yet. “And we haven’t told anyone about us. We said we would and I know you’re waiting for me but I’m never here. And I don’t know how.”
Namjoon caught your hand and brought it to his lips. Lowering it, his thumb rubbed soothing circles on your skin. “It doesn’t have to be complicated. They will understand and they will be happy for us. You shouldn’t let this keep you awake, everything will be alright. They are our pack, this won’t change anything.”
“But…” The anxiety that persisted. “Yoongi. What if his reaction is… bad. You know what he said.”
“That was before.” He sounded sure but there was a tightness at his jaw. “It is different now. He is different, you can see it. He is softer around the edges, he even helps Jin in the kitchen. He’s settling in.”
 “Because he doesn’t know,” you said. “You remember what he said, right? That night? That I adopted you so I could take my pick and now there is Jin and it’s just too much like that, can’t you see it?”
“It’s nothing like that. We both–” Namjoon stiffened, his gaze locking somewhere towards the entrance. “Yoongi?”
Your heart rate sped up, a knot forming in your chest. Yoongi walked in, his socked feet not making a sound. How much had he heard? The last minutes of the conversation replayed in your mind in a panicked mess. What had you said? How long had he been there, listening to you, before Namjoon noticed him? What conclusions would he reach?
Instinctively, you tried to get away from Namjoon but his hold on your hand kept you there.
The panther’s face didn’t give anything away. You couldn’t read him regardless of how much you studied him. You didn’t know his tells, if he had any. His expression was a carefully curated mask of apathy and you couldn’t see past it. Or you didn’t dare to try. Maybe you were too afraid of what you would find.
“How did you know it was me?” he asked, voice missing some of its smoothness.
Namjoon held your hand tighter. “You are the only one who can sneak up on me.”
You swallowed down your anxiety and tried to think of him the way he was the past few months, when he helped you with rearranging your office, him playing the piano in the afternoons, your walk at the lake, the vague memory of him helping you up to your room when you were drunk in Virginia. But they were all pushed back by the memory of his snarl and his sharp teeth that night.
“How much did you hear?” you asked, forcing your voice to be steady. He was going to learn of it at some point and as scared as you were, you had to face this.
“Enough.” His tail curled behind him and stilled. “You are afraid of my reaction to something. Is that it?”
Your eyes locked with Namjoon’s and he nodded. This time you weren’t going to run. This time would be different. “Yes, there is something we wanted to tell you. Something we wanted to tell everyone. I didn’t know how to tell you, that’s all.”
“You can tell me now,” he said and it sounded almost like a dare. You weren’t sure if you were walking into a trap.
Namjoon spoke up before you could. “You remember that the two of us are… We are together, as humans would say, romantically.” Yoongi nodded. You couldn’t imagine how he could forget. “That extends to Jin now. We love him and he loves us.” It was almost like he was challenging him to say anything but Yoongi was quiet.
“We didn’t know how to tell everyone. And you…” You didn’t know how to finish.
He scoffed. “I was an asshole.” One side of his lips was twisted up but something about it hurt. “You didn’t want to tell me because I was an asshole when I found out about you two. Worse than an asshole.” He dropped his gaze to the floor, his shoulders were slumped as if in defeat. For a moment, you wished to reassure him but what he was saying was the truth. “I understand. I’m not– I’m happy for you. And I’m sorry.”
He turned to leave but, through your confusion, you knew you didn’t want him to go.
“Wait,” you called. He stopped but didn’t turn around. “Let’s talk. We need to talk.”
Yoongi looked at you over his shoulder. This time, you studied him without your heavy-duty lenses, without the fear of discovery. Like the expression of an actor, you picked apart the tiniest details to paint a picture. When your own barriers were gone, it was easier to see.
“What is there to talk about?” he asked.
“A lot. Things we should have talked about sooner.” Communication was a golden rule in your handbook and you used to be good at it, you tried to be good at it. The misunderstanding trope was overused and useless when the issue could be resolved with a simple conversation.
It was about time you stopped walking on eggshells.
“We never truly talked about it,” you started. “And I didn’t really want to because things were going so well. They are going well. But you are my family now.” His lips parted, only slightly but you caught it. “I can’t know how all of you see it, if it’s the same for you, but that’s the way I feel. And I want to be honest with you. I still think about what you said in the garden and sometimes it affects me more than I would like. However, I would like to put it behind us but I want to know what you think.”
His eyes were sharp but you weren’t fooled this time. “Can we? Can we really put it behind us?”
 Namjoon was silent next to you, he was letting you handle it.
“I think we are already beginning to.” You took a deep breath in preparation. There was a question that could make or break this peace between you and you were both dreading and dying to ask. “Do you think that I’m taking advantage of them because I love them romantically?”
His eyes widened. “No,” he denied sharply. “No, of course I don’t.”
It was like a knot unravelling in your heart. Although there was a part of you that had known, the relief was still there. “Then we can move past it. We can try again. We are already trying again.”
“How?” Yoongi asked and he sounded smaller, much smaller than you were used to.
The pills were beginning to act, it was a light drowsiness at first. You had to do this quickly before you fell asleep and crumbled down on the floor.
“The same way we are doing now. By doing our best.”
“I am trying” His hands clenched into fists and loosened again. “I’m sorry. For everything.”
“You don’t need to be. Not anymore. As long as I know that we are fine.” Your eyes were growing heavier and the fog was slipping in. “I think we should go to bed now,” you said. It was getting more and more difficult to open your eyes.
You must have stumbled or something because you heard Yoongi ask, “Are you alright?” at the same time as Namjoon’s “Do you want help?”
You waved them both off. “I’m fine. It’s the pills.” It was easier to admit when you were almost asleep. One moment your feet were on the floor and the next you were up in the air. “Joon?”
“I’m taking you to your room. It’s time for sleep.” One of his arms was under your knees and the other was holding you close to his body.
“Namjoon, I can walk,” you protested weakly. Namjoon shushed you and you let it go. You were so incredibly sleepy and you were safe there. You relaxed in his arms and finally closed your eyes.
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Most of the flowers were drooping in the garden of the Castle. Namjoon and Jimin were attempting to keep them alive for as long as possible before fall swept them away. They cut off the dead leaves, watered the plants and applied the appropriate fertilisers. There were also varieties that lasted all year and the gardener had taught them how to take care of them too.
“These won’t last much longer,” Jimin said, running his fingers gently over the petals of a slowly wilting flower.
“They will bloom again in spring,” Namjoon reassured him. “Each season has its beauty and these belong to spring and summer. Autumn has its own colors too but they are different.”
Jimin pulled his hand back and grabbed the watering can. “I know, but I will miss them.”
Namjoon patted his head and Jimin preened under his touch, chasing his hand. He was too cute sometimes and Namjoon adored him. “It’s okay to miss it but you can also be happy about the new things that are coming. Miss Roberts said she will bring sunflowers and hydrangeas to plant next week, it will add some color. When something ends, something else begins.”
Jimin giggled, watering the flowers although they would be dead next week. “Nora has told you many times to call her by her name.”
Namjoon rubbed the back of his head. “I forgot. I’m trying.”
Yoongi came out of the house, a book in his hand. He had been visiting the library more lately. Namjoon had been wondering where he had been. The rest of the pack had holed up in the cinema room to watch a comedy and, like the two of them, Yoongi had opted out but they hadn’t seen him since.
“Yoongi!” Jimin called, waving with the hand that wasn’t holding the watering can. “Come here. Sit with us, we are almost done.”
Yoongi paused, glancing at the table and benches on the other side of the garden.
“Come on,” Namjoon called for him as well. That was enough to sway Yoongi’s decision, who made his way to them.
Jimin bounced up to him, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the flower bushes they were tending to. Yoongi grumbled about the rough treatment but Namjoon wasn’t fooled, the upturn of his lips was small but unmistakable.
Jimin explained to him what they had been doing so far and Yoongi listened to him attentively.
“They are beautiful. You have been doing a really good job. Both of you,” he said, his eyes darting to Namjoon.
He was tense, it wasn’t obvious but Namjoon could pick it up. He gave him a smile, hoping he would relax. Yoongi confused him but he thought he could understand him a little better now. “Thank you. What are you reading?”
“Oh, this?” Yoongi raised the book a little and shrugged. “I saw it and I thought it was interesting.”
“I haven’t seen that before,” Namjoon said.
The cover was painted in shades of yellow and orange, framing two pyramids. Without saying anything, Yoongi handed him the book. It was called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and it was a relatively short book. He turned it around to look at the synopsis and Jimin peeked at it over his shoulder. Namjoon wondered if you had read it or if it had been sitting there unread on your shelves for years. There were so many books in your library and you had admitted that you hadn’t read most of them, but you had also told them that once upon a time you used to read a hundred books a year.
“It does sound interesting,” Namjoon commented, passing back the book. “You should tell me if it is any good when you finish it.”
Yoongi looked down at the book’s cover. “I will.”
Jimin declared that they were done with gardening for the day and grabbed both of their hands, pulling them to the shade underneath one of the trees. They sat down and he situated himself with his head in Namjoon’s lap and his legs in Yoongi’s. Yoongi cracked open his book and began to read while Jimin talked about flowers.
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“And… CUT!” you called. It was repeated again by Will and the actors relaxed, the expressions of their characters wiped clean. “That will be it for today. Thank you everyone!”
The crew buzzed as the cameras and the sound systems were turned off. People were talking to their earpieces and others were giving pats on the back to each other for another successful day on set. Crew members passed by and offered their congratulations to you.
“What are you rushing for?” Will asked.
You continued throwing everything carelessly into your backpack. “I’m visiting the gallery today, remember?”
“Right, that’s today,” he said, snapping his fingers. Some things stuck with you in entertainment. For example, the overexaggerated gestures. “I thought you had a company meeting dressed like this. A very important one.”
In the morning, you had put more thought into your outfit compared to a simple filming day. You were wearing tan trousers and a form-fitting black top embellished by a crossover belt that wrapped around the body and was tied together with a golden Medusa head emblem. The heels, the golden earrings, bracelets, and rings confirmed that filming wasn’t the only thing on your schedule.
You slung your backpack over your shoulder (you would switch it later with a black Dior bag you had in your car). “No meetings for me today. I really have to go. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”
“Have a good time, boss!”
You greeted any familiar faces on your way to your car and sent a quick message to Namjoon that you would be picking them up soon. The 8-seater car was an impulse purchase at a time when you had a larger friend group. You hadn’t used it much, only for a couple of short trips to private beaches.
You checked your appearance in the visor mirror and reapplied some powder and lipstick. You looked good enough, there wasn’t much more you could do.
The hybrids were waiting by the fountain. They had dressed nicely for the occasion, wearing some of the more formal outfits you had bought for them. You could feel the excitement in the air as they climbed into the car. It had been a long time since you had gone to the city like this. Jimin was quick to slide into the passenger seat, followed by a little happy dance at his success.
The exhibition was taking place in Central Los Angeles, housed in a tall and wide building that appeared to be made up of several cubes that jutted out of the main structure. Jungkook and Hoseok had their phones out, taking photos of the strange building. Distantly, you remembered coming here before but you couldn’t place when or why.
Eliana was waiting for you inside wearing a simple flowing blue dress and a large smile. You greeted each other with a hug and proceeded to introduce the boys to her. She shook their hands enthusiastically and in a few seconds she had already engaged them in a conversation about art. Usually, she talked quickly like she was rushing to get everything out before she forgot but she was talking slowly now, using simpler words and waiting for Hoseok to translate whenever he deemed he should.
She guided you through the gallery, floating ahead of you. She gave explanations of some of her works while she let others speak for themselves. Taehyung’s eyes were sparkling while she talked, in a way you had never seen before. His smile stayed on during your whole visit, big and boxy, and you finally felt like you were doing something right.
The other hybrids seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. Namjoon was asking plenty of questions about the meaning behind the paintings and her inspiration and Jungkook was very interested in the more technical aspect of her work. She readily answered all of their questions and when you pointed out that Jungkook spent a lot of his time painting, she encouraged him to show her some of his work. Although he was shy, hiding behind his floppy ears at first, Eliana managed to convince him to show her a few of the paintings he had on his phone. She was stunned when you told her he had only been painting for a few months and Jungkook grew even shier when she showered him in compliments.
At the end of the tour, she let you wander the gallery by yourselves for some time and then suggested going to the gallery’s gardens to hang out. The gardens were of considerable size, about as large as the inside of the gallery. Neatly trimmed flower bushes lined the pathways and plenty of modern sculptures decorated the space. A large fountain stood proudly in the middle and there was an artfully made gazebo raised on a platform at a far corner, overlooking the gardens.
You offered to go get some coffee and some baked goods from a nearby bakery/coffee shop you had found on the internet. Eliana protested at first but she gave in quickly at the promise of an iced Spanish latte and muffins. Namjoon volunteered to accompany you, although what surprised you was Yoongi offering to come along.
“You need more than two people to carry everything,” was the only explanation you got. You couldn’t deny that he was right.
He hadn’t been acting any different towards you since you had let him know about the nature of your relationship with Seokjin, so you acted the same way you always did too. His quiet acceptance was more than enough for you and it was a great weight off your shoulders.
You were talking about the exhibition, not surprised that Yoongi had been paying close attention to the paintings as he recalled his favorites, when a call of your name surprised you. The voice was familiar and, for a few seconds, you couldn’t place it. Until you could. And the peace froze over.
You turned around to find Jacob waving at you in the quiet street. His hair was cut much shorter than the last time you had seen him and his white loose pants and half-unbuttoned shirt made him look like he had just stepped off a yacht party. Maybe he had. His thousand-watt smile, reminiscent of a politician, was fixed firmly on his face.
“Hey, I knew it was you,” he said when he caught up with you, like he had won a prize. He pulled you into a quick hug and you didn’t know what to do with your hands until he let you go. “Haven’t seen you in ages.”
You wiped invisible dust from your trousers. “Yeah, I’ve been very busy.”
“You were never  one for rest, right? The woman always running, always working, never has time for anything else,” he joked and it shouldn’t bother you the way it did. He gestured to Yoongi and Namjoon, “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Namjoon looked politely curious and Yoongi downright uninterested.
“Right,” you said. “This is Yoongi and Namjoon. And this is Jacob.”
Their eyes sharpened the moment you uttered the name.
“I’m just Jacob now?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “After three years? Not even a friend?”
“I don’t know. It isn’t like we’ve spoken since last year.”
Initially after your breakup, you used to imagine how your next meeting would go and how the two of you would act around each other. Three years was a long time to share your life with someone to then go back to being strangers. You hadn’t entertained the idea much since then, you had found yourself thinking about him less and less. Still, whenever you thought about meeting him, you hadn’t anticipated the bitterness that grazed your insides.
Jacob chuckled awkwardly. “Well, you said you were busy. I have been busy as well, I’m working with a few very big names, you know. I got my hands on some of the best songs of the year.”
“I’m sure they’re great.”
“Haven’t you listened to any of them? You must have heard a few of them. They were everywhere.” Jacob was talented enough and well-connected and he sure liked to brag about it. “I asked Zayn and he said you were doing well, working of course. And you got yourself some company too.”
You clenched your jaw to bite back the harshness burning on the tip of your tongue. You hated the way he said it and the way it reminded you of your mother.
“It was a bit of a surprise, I’ll admit. I don’t remember you ever talking about adopting, you didn’t seem a big fan of the idea. No offense of course,” he directed the last part to Namjoon and Yoongi.
“Things change,” you said dismissively. “We have to go. There are people waiting for us.”
Jacob’s smile didn’t falter but his eyes narrowed a fraction for only a second. He may only be part of your past but you could still read him well. Was it the same for him? Had he ever been able to read you in the first place?
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll see you around.”
“Sure.”
You turned around and started walking, Namjoon and Yoongi following you. Last year you loved him enough to move in with him and this year you couldn’t stand to be in his presence. You thought you would feel nothing when you’d see him again but the truth was that everything about him irritated you. His poised smile, his bragging, his nonchalance.
Why was he able to get under your skin like this? You were over him, you didn’t want anything to do with him. But you were supposed to be civil, uninterested like the heroines who didn’t raise more than an eyebrow in the direction of their exes. It irked you and the way he looked at Namjoon and Yoongi irked you more. You had defended him to everyone, he wasn’t a bad guy, he didn’t treat you badly but as time passed you were starting to realize some things you couldn’t see clearly before.
Yoongi was the first one to speak up when you had almost reached the coffee shop, “What an asshole.”
“He isn’t–” You stopped yourself and laughed. “You know what? He is, a little bit.”
“A little bit?” he repeated, doubtfully.
“I don’t want to judge but…” The way Namjoon paused told you everything you needed to know. “I had to try very hard to stop myself from growling at him.”
Yoongi smirked. “Down, wolf.” Namjoon ignored him.
“Thank you for not doing that, that wouldn’t have ended well. Please, don’t growl at people.”
“I don’t know if I can promise that.”
Well, you couldn’t say that you minded that much. You could admit to yourself that Namjoon growling was kind of hot. And if the situation called for it…
“I didn’t like the way he spoke to you,” Namjoon said. “It was weird. There was something about it that was wrong, almost demeaning.”
“He can be like that sometimes. Like he is above almost everyone else, like some things are beneath him. He would make those stupid comments and I would always try to ignore them,” He was always supportive of your career and proud of your success but he had never shown interest in any of your other hobbies and likes. Reading was boring, paintings were overrated and overpriced, drinking tea was pretentious. “I never thought I would be one of those shit-talking their exes unless they did something really bad.”
“I support this shit-talking,” Namjoon said.
“I do too,” Yoongi agreed.
It made a strangely pleasant feeling run up your spine. “We’re here,” you said, instead of continuing the conversation. According to Google Maps, you had arrived at the coffee shop.
As you walked inside, you might have heard Yoongi saying lowly to Namjoon, “I kind of wanted to punch him.”
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You were sitting on the chair in front of your vanity, braiding your hair and stuck thinking of the same scene. Before going to his room for the night, Taehyung had approached you and thanked you for taking him to the exhibition. His expression was sincere and you finally felt like you were moving in the right direction. 
When there was a knock at your door, you already knew who it was before you called for them to come in.
“Can we sleep here tonight?” Jimin asked, Jungkook draped over his back.
“When have I ever told you no?” you asked, finishing your braid and securing it in place with a silky scrunchy. “Go on.”
They both hopped on the bed, bouncing a little and sharing delightful smiles. You watched them through the mirror as they rolled around, holding each other.
Jimin looked up from where he was tangled with Jungkook, holding your gaze through his reflection. “Are you coming?”
“I am, I am,” you said, putting your brush back in the drawer.
You joined them on the bed, their hands quickly reaching for you and situating you between them like the last time. Jimin purred in contentment, rubbing his face in your collarbones. Jungkook held onto your arm and you could feel his breath caressing your neck with how close he was lying. 
An unwanted echo of what Jacob had said entered your mind.  Always working, never having time for anything else or anyone else, even the ones most important to you. You were gone most of the days and it made sense that they wanted to be close to you at least at night.
“Did you have fun today?” you asked them to distract yourself. 
“I loved it! Eliana was so nice and her paintings were incredible,” Jimin said.  “I took so many photos, my phone must be full of them.”
Jungkook nuzzled up closer to you. “I took many photos too. Can we print the one we took of us all together? I want to put it in our room.”
“Yes, please,” Jimin added cutely.
“Of course. You should print a couple more too, if you want, and choose some pretty frames for them. There is a lot of free space in your room.”
They cheered a little. You lied there in comfortable silence but you could detect a nervous energy in the air. It was in the way Jimin was fidgeting with the hem of your silk night shirt and how tightly Jungkook was gripping your arm. You waited until they were ready.
“We actually… we have something to tell you,” Jimin said.
“Anything you want, kitten,” you said, running your fingers through his hair. You could see how the use of the nickname affected him, squirming a little as his smile grew sweeter. “You know you can tell me anything.”
“I just–” He looked at Jungkook, who gave him an encouraging nod. “I kissed him, we kissed. And… it makes me very happy.”
Jungkook caught Jimin’s hand that was pulling at your shirt and intertwined their fingers, laying their joint hands on your stomach. “He makes me very happy too,” he said in a small voice.
The new knowledge was like a puzzle piece sliding into place. It felt natural to you that their relationship would progress like that. The way they looked at each other, the way they touched each other, was evidence of a deeply intimate connection. If the image your mind conjured of them kissing lit a spark in your chest, you hid it even from yourself.
“Thank you for telling me. If it makes you happy, then I am happy too. All I want for you is to be happy and know how loved you are. Come here.” You pulled them closer and placed lingering kisses on their foreheads. “I will always support you. Always.” You took a decision then. You couldn’t put it off any longer. “I have something to tell you too. Jimin already knows but Jungkook, I would like for you to know too. I don’t know how to say this exactly and I’m sorry we’ve kept this from you but I, Namjoon and Jin have been romantically involved. All of us. We have been kissing too.”
“Oh.” Jungkook paused. “That makes sense.” You couldn’t help but laugh at that, Jimin joining you. “I mean you’re very close and it just makes sense. We’re pack and I think that most packs are a little in love with each other, in one way or another,” he said. His cheeks felt hot against your shoulder.
In one way or another. He was right, it was such a special bond and you could imagine that for hybrids who felt the sense of pack deeper, the lines were easily blurred. A door opened in your mind but you closed it again forcefully.
Jimin fit his face in the crook of your neck. “I love you. I love you so much, all of you. Our pack. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have you. I don’t know if I deserve this.” His voice was wet.
“You do,” you stated. “You deserve everything and more. And we love you so much. So much.”
Jungkook squeezed his hand. “We love you, Jiminie. Our pack wouldn’t be complete without you. We need you to be whole. We need everyone.”
Their hands remained linked over your abdomen as you fell asleep.
Please comment and reblog it motivates me to keep writing
801 notes · View notes
plutokoo · 9 months
Note
Maybe a bit weird but yandere big bad wolf jk and small sheep oc/yn?
pairing : yandere wolf jk x fem sheep hybrid reader
genre : smut, yandere
A/N : a quick smutty drabble rn because I'm writing a one shot for it and it's halfway done. I just need to do a quick dump bcs the one shot is kinda long and it's making me hit writers block 😭😭😭😭. this might not be the best tbh but I promise the one shot will be way better.
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yandere wolf jk who's a perfectionist at uni never missing a class, always has a 4.0 GPA and never failed to made it in to the deans list.
and then one day he saw you, barging in to the class late mumbling sorry and sitting right in front of him,your scent covering his nose almost instantly,his ears tensing up as he grumble mate slightly under his breath.
he reached for you after class finished, hands grabbing your arm tightly, he leaned his face in, a wolfish grinned adorning his face as he greeted you
you who was timid,fearful and easily panicked,breathed out your name gently hands shaking from the sudden interaction. you can't help it of course it's in your nature to act that way :(
before he could ask you about how he's never seen you in the class before, you snatched your arms from him, legs stuttering to get out of the room as fast as you can, his scent was overwhelming, making your thoughts go hazy from fear.
jungkook frowned as your figure scrambled out, hands forming a fist as he make a silently vow to himself to get you again.
he met you again next on the campus hallway, hands barely holding on to the thick text books you carried as you sauntered around,trying to get into the professor office before bumping against some jock, your knees crashing on the hard tiles as the books fell from your grasp, gasp leaving your lips from the pain. the hallway turned silent, people watching you trying to gather books, you wanted to wailed from the attention you're receiving, your knees ached from the impact,blood oozing out from the cuts it received
jungkook immediately rushed up to you, shooing people away as he kneeled down, his hands quickly collect the books as he helped you stand up. he cooed at the fat tears that was sliding down your face, "its okay baby you're okay they're gone know" he fussed wiping your tears away
you sobbed,wiping your face at the sleeve of your sweater, the nickname he gave you went unnoticed as he continued to caressed your face.
"let me help you bring these and then we'll go to the infirmary to take care of your knees, okay?" he offered not giving you time to answer before he grabbed your hands,his other hand holding the books easily as he sauntered to the office
after that it was easy for jungkook to make you his,everyday he would take you out for coffee,sit beside you in class, and helped doing your assignments. he'd pamper you endlessly, slowly convincing you to sleep at his place instead because it was too dangerous for you to sleep alone and you who was dumb,naive and gullible believed everything he said.
he'd make you move to his apartment too, because it's such a hassle for his baby to be going back and forth at all and he doesn't like the thought of you being all alone so please move in with me baby, I don't like being apart from you :((((
jungkook Hates when you start talking or making friends with other people because you're his and only his to have, it's not hard to make you stop talking to these people of course, your timid nature making it easy for him to remove people from your life.
he'd tell you everyday, gaslighting you into thinking about how your friends view you as an easy target and how you will always be a Second choice to them, how you would easily get stampede if you keep hanging around with people other than him.
you'd believed everything he said, the thought of leaving the home you thought as a safe place become more and more distasteful making you switch all your classes to online instead, which ofcourse was jungkooks Idea.
jungkook loves to fuck you, he loves rubbing your wet pussy through your panties while you're sleeping, hips unconsciously humped against his hands as moans left your lips,his hands would move the panties sideways, thumbs slowly rubbing your clit, drawing 8 figures on it making you reach your qlimax, soft pants leaving your lips.
he'd fuck you on top of the kitchen counter, your front leaning on it, clit grazing against the counters corner everytime he thrust forward. cold marble pressing against your chest as jungkook pulled your hair back, his hand reaching down to pinch your nipple making you squeeze more around his cock
"aah...aah ple..please" you mewl hands rubbing your clit, desperate to reach your orgasm. jungkook grunts, his hands smacked you ass,groaning as he watched it jiggle "please what slut", he rasped hips bucking faster as he leaned down, lips sucking your necks making your eyes rolled back from the pleasure
"uh...ugh...cum please" you cried out, jungkook reached down hands smacking your pussy as he yanked your hair back "fuck..baby..cum" he choked, you wailed as you squirt against him,body trembling, eyes rolling back as your pussy pulsate againts his cock. "fuck fuck fuck" jungkook sobbed out as he reached his climax, filling your hole with so much cream it drips out.
he pulled out,wincing slightly before plugging his hand up your hole, preventing his cum from dripping down your hole "can't let this go to waste hm".
jungkook loves it when you got your heat he'd fuck you on every surface in the house. he'd fuck you on the couch when the movie's still playing,on the bathtub while letting the shower jet hits your clit , on the floor where he'd fuck you so hard you could barely from a sentence.
jungkook loves you so much he'd kill for you. he would easily get rid of anyone that he thinks might be a threat to your relationship.
he'd do anything for you as long as you don't leave his side,so don't even try to think about doing it it okay?.
935 notes · View notes
fruitmins · 1 year
Text
Victory | Namjoon
➭ summary: Namjoon is a wolf hybrid who has a dark past with humans that ultimately landed him in a boxing ring, so he tries his very hardest to hate every single one of them. Even his mate, who happens to be a human nurse who works for the boxing ring. But everything changes when he finds you bleeding out with marks all around you..
➭genre: hybrid x reader, drabble, angst, mate au
➭warnings: mentions of blood, mentions of killing, he gets protective real quick, hybrid abuse, a couple had words, the ending…
➭note: finals week Tuesday. i hate everything
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“You’re winner, by knockout. RM!” Muffled cheers filled his stiff bloody wolf ears as the announcer dramatically swung his arm in the air.
No one cared about the other unconscious hybrid who was in a pool of his own blood on the other side of the cage. RM didn’t either. It wouldn’t be the first time he would have killed someone in the ring. The only thing he cared about was victory. The victory that would land him dinner and a day off.
Despite it being in his stage name, RM wasn’t a monster. He wasn’t always like this. He used to care about other things before he was shoved into the cage. Forced to entertain and damage himself and other for human entertainment.
RM spit out a wad of blood that had gathered in his mouth. He didn’t smile at the cheers, because they weren’t necessarily for him. It was for the people who had won money from bets.
“Alright let’s go.” A nasty shriveled male voice told him over the screams as he was yanked by the air and dragged by two men with vest and face masks to his room.
RM thought they were bold for their harsh movements. He had just beaten a lion hybrid to a plump, surely he could take them out. They should respect him. But the taser had boosted their ego. Tasers did damage, especially after a bloody match. That was the only thing stopping RM from clawing their face off as they shoved him in his small room.
Unlike when he lost, he was put in a room with lights. There was a semi-comfortable bed and old tv. That’s what winners get. A bed, tv and dinner. Losers get a dark black cold space where you sit and are placed on a list till a nurse sees you.
Since this was RM’s fifth win in a row he was placed higher on the list and his nurse came only thirty minutes later.
He could smell you as you came down the hall. Your calm and sweet scent filled his nostrils rather quickly. It always stood out from the other nurses. One of the reasons were that unlike you, other nurses hated treating such a beast like himself. They always smelled nervous and afraid.
Of course another main reason was that your scent was stronger than anyone else’s to him. Simply because you were his mate. There was no other way around it. His wolf had practically screamed it at him the first time you came to treat him. He’d never forget the upset and startled look on your face when he had suddenly jumped away from you with a growl.
You didn’t treat him that day, but he made a promise to never frighten you again. Instead he’d stay still while you treated him, answering your questions about his lungs or feet when you needed him too. It started a habit of you blabbering to him, either about his match or things on your mind. Human Namjoon wouldn’t admit it, but something inside calmed him whenever you spoke. There was a sense of calmness from you that transferred to him whenever you talked for to long.
Which was exactly what you did the minute you entered the room.
“Good evening, Namjoon.” You said with a sweet voice as you peeked your head through the door. Once you saw his familiar muscular build you came in, shutting the door.
He silently bowed to you, something in him telling him to be respectful. Like everyone else you had a taser on you but never used it. For you, it was as if it wasn’t attached to your hip. And unlike everyone else, you didn’t call him RM. You called him his actual name. How you found out he didn’t know.
“Congrats on the win.” You said once your light body hit the edge of the bed. “I heard a bunch of people doubting you. That you could never get up to five wins in a row, especially against a lion hybrid.” Your voice was mocking as you playfully rolled your eyes at whoever you were talking about.
“But I didn’t doubt you..” there was proudness in your tone and your words made him tense. He shouted at his wolf not to dance because of your praise. “You know you could beat the record for most wins in a row. It’s only seven.”
It was always weird how you were so comfortable about the fact that he almost tortured people for a living. So comfortable around him when he had almost killed a man a half hour ago.
He always wondered how you got yourself mixed into the mess. You could have been a doctor with your skills. So why weren’t you?
He tried not to dwell to much on you. Caring for humans almost killed him. He couldn’t make the same mistake, even if you were different.
“I can’t believe they haven’t gotten you your dinner yet.” You stated as you treated his knuckles. He didn’t flinch at the alcohol that poured onto his cuts before your wrapped it.
“Anything hurt? Teeth? Lungs? Feet? Legs? Tail?” You asked him routinely as you held up a water bottle. Without asking, Namjoon opened his mouth as you poured the water into his mouth. He stared at you curiously as you filled some water in his mouth before stopping.
He didn’t swallow it, swishing the water around his sore mouth before spitting it into a plastic cup that you were now holding. Water and a bit of blood came back.
“No pain.” He spoke for the first time, his voice coming back rough and deep as you hummed. “That’s a relief.” You whispered and he looked down, trying to keep his emotions in check. Why did you care so much about his condition? Probably because he was making you money no less.
“I’ll cry the day you break a bone.” You huffed and his ears twitched. You had been saying things that hinted you cared about him lately. He didn’t believe you, not for a second. But it still caught him off guard. And somehow, he did not like the thought of your beautiful doe eyes being red from crying. He’d have to be extra careful.
“Why would you cry?” He couldn’t help but ask. You were a nurse for God’s sake. You even treated the people he beat. Why would him breaking a bone be so horrible?
“I don’t know, I’ve never been good with seeing friends or people I know hurt. My dad came home with a broken leg once and I almost threw up.” You answered unfazed by his sudden interest. But this made him more curious. Friend? Were they friends? Maybe he was overreacting.
You talked about your dad sometimes. Not a bunch but more than you talked about your mother, which surprised him since you were so girlish and respectful. Who taught you that if not a mother?
“This’ll hurt.” You state before putting some alcohol on a cut that was on his forehead. It stung a little, but he didn’t flinch. He just watched your concentrated face as you worked your magic. He could admit that you were pretty, but even pretty humans couldn’t be trusted.
“I don’t know why but, I feel more comfortable around you than the other hybrids. Like, warm and fuzzy.. Is that weird?” You suddenly spoke as you planted a small bandaid on the cut.
Namjoon didn’t answer, instead he just looked away shamefully. No, it wasn’t weird. It was because they were mates. They were bonding. Namjoon had let his guard down and bonded with his human mate.
—————————
Two days later, he got his sixth win.
There were louder cheers when he won this match. He could tell people were getting more hype the more he fought. Your words came back to him. The thought of beating the record on everyone’s minds. The bullied rookie no longer stood. People no longer booed when he won. They screamed and blasted confetti. He didn’t know why, but he had become a fan favorite.
But still, you were his biggest fan of them all. You practically came skipping into the room forty minutes after the win. He could smell your excitement down the hall, but something else he could sense in your smell.
Another hybrid. Male. Lion.
His wolf hated it. He hated it. The smell made his nose burn and the thought of some other hybrid being all over his mate made his jaw clench. Especially a Lion.
“Good evening, superstar.” You greeted him with a smile, despite his nasty expression. “Everyone’s talking about you breaking the record. No pressure but I’d be big if you do. Just one more and you’ll tie and that’s already a huge accomplishment.” You we’re quick to ramble this time as you sat at the edge of the bed.
He hesitated to meet you at the edge like usual. He’d go crazy if he smelt more lion. You noticed and frowned as you looked at him with a confused expression.
“You stink.” He answered your wordless question with in a rough and disgusted tone. He could fight through a lot of things (literally) but not this. It was actually starting to make him ill in the chest.
“I took a shower this morning..” you mumbled to yourself taking your confused eyes away from him to look down at your visible skin.
You wore a tight pink shirt and paired it with a medium length white skirt that somehow wasn’t stained. A skinny black belt held it all together that matched the flats you wore. No wonder a lion had scented you. He bit the inside of his injured cheek in rage. Someone had marked you their territory.
“No. Like lion.” He clarified in a deep voice. He couldn’t let you be walking around here with everyone thinking you belonged to someone you didn’t.
“Oh.” You chirped as if suddenly realizing something. You had forgotten hybrids keen sense of smell. “Jay was extra close today..” you uttered. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Extra close his ass. He seemed to be all over you.
“If it bothers you that much…you have permission to scent me.” You suddenly offer in a low voice as he watched blush creep up to your cheeks. He doesn’t know why you offered, or how you even know that’s what he wanted to do. But he doesn’t take a second to think about it.
He scoots himself so his directly behind you while you’re at the edge of the bed. He wraps his arms around you and settles his interlocks hands on your stomach. He hesitates before taking in the little of your original smell that he can sense before planting his face on your neck.
He sits there for a while. He can obviously feel how nervous you had become so he takes a while to let you cool down. He lets himself get lost in the warm feeling of holding you like a mate should. He gets lost in the fantasy that maybe things can work. And when he notices that you’ve calmed down too, he begins to nuzzle his face into your neck.
He can sense how shy your getting but he moves slow not going lower than your shoulders until he finally forced himself to move away.
What the fuck was he doing? Snuggling up to some human girl he didn’t even know. Human girls like you abused him every chance they got. Did he forget about the taser locked to your side. How could his wolf betray him like this? How could he put himself in danger? You worked for the boxing ring that abused his kind. As sweet and innocent as you seemed, you couldn’t be that innocent.
He sat there in silence for the rest of the check up in silence. For the first time he didn’t listen to you rambling about the match or your childhood stories.
He was trying to fix the damage he had caused.
—————————
Two days later he got his seventh win in a row.
He knew you would be thrilled and despite everything, he was looking forward to your praise. He knew you would be proud of him, even if he didn’t officially past the record yet.
At one point in the match he started fighting for you rather than his survival. His mind was stuck on you the entire match. Once he felt like he was losing, he thought about how disappointed you would be in him. How much you were rooting for him and wanted him to succeed. How much he needed to see you happy again. That was enough to have him win the match.
And when his opponent had the audacity to land a punch on his stomach… He killed him.
And like any other time. He didn’t care. He cared about the victory. And he would do it again if he had to.
He was so wrapped up in his own mind that he hadn’t realized a unfamiliar person had made their way to his room until the person knocked on the door.
His body stiffened.
You never knock on the door. You poked your head through first, but never full on knocked. He always wondered why you don’t. It was almost like you knew that he knew about your presence.
Something snapped in him when he realized your sweet scent was no where to he found. Instead someones terrified scent replaced you and it made him crazy. He knew your schedule. Including you, there were only three nurses. You worked the days he fought, another nurse worked the days he didn’t. And another nurse for the weekends.
You were scheduled today so where were you? He asked himself angrily.
“Where’s Y/N?” He asked in a firm and deep voice. Not giving the person any permission to enter.
“I-I don’t know. She didn’t show up today.” The female voice answers in a shaky tone. This doesn’t make him any less angrier or anxious. “I’m subbing till she shows up.”
You were missing. You had disappeared and instead of looking for you they replaced you with some weak idiot. He quickly got worried and protective. Wherever you were you needed to get found now. And he wasn’t counting on humans to find you. With their horrible sense it would take days to find you and he wasn’t willing to go that long without knowing you were okay. Not after he let his wolf bond with you.
Despite it being forbidden to leave the room, and he would most liking be spotted by the hundreds of cameras he quickly decided he had to find you himself. He didn’t care about the victory anymore. He didn’t care about breaking the record. He cared about you.
He stood up from the bed and it was easy for him to swing open the locked door, not even having to use his claws to tar through the lock. The woman’s eyes widen in shock when his tall huff figure was suddenly in front of her.
“Use that taser and your dead by the time the buzzing stops.” He threatens her with a low and assertive tone. He doesn’t give the poor nurse time to reply. He knew he scared her enough and with how shaky her hands were she would probably miss him anyways.
Now, he just had to find you before they found him.
Despite it being one of the biggest illegal hybrid boxing organizations, the building was small. There were three levels, the main level, the security/employee level and the basement. The basement consisted of the loser rooms and mostly plumbing and electrical wires. The security system and employee work stations were the highest level. The main level consisted of the main area and the winner rooms.
And then there was outside.
Somewhere Namjoon and the other prisoners were forbidden. It was impossible to make it outside anyways. The guards that had guns instead of taser, combined with the electric fence made it clear that anyone who tried to escape would be dealt with.
Namjoon had heard many stories about great fighters who died trying to escape. The place made hybrids insane. But the only thing that seemed to make Namjoon insane was the fact that you were missing. He would step outside if you were there.
Namjoon had just gotten done searching most of the first floor when he smells it. Your scent. It’s faint and sour but it’s you. Something in him tells him to follow it.
Now, it’s a race. A race for Namjoon to find you before they capture him. Because he knows that by now they have noticed him frantically searching everywhere for you on the camera. A huge wolf hybrid roaming around was sure to catch eyes.
He follows the scent, desperate to find out what was wrong and it leads him to the basement. This was his least favorite place to be, but he quickly enters anyways.
There’s an open hallway that leads to the loser cage, and to the right leads him to all the plumbing. Despite how horrible it smelt, your scent got stronger.
His ears perk when he can now smell blood in your scent. Pools of blood. Your scent isn’t just sour anymore, he can smell your fear. It was so strong it felt like your scent was calling out to him.
He quickly changes his pace from speed walking, to fill on sprinting down the hallway and to the right. The plumbing room is more like a corner it’s so small, so he quickly sees your bloody figure laid flat on the floor.
His face turns red as his heart thumps and for the first time in years he’s feels like he might die. He can barely breathe and his body becomes shaky.
He quickly runs to you, plopping down on his knees and taking you in his lap. He can see your face now, which is dangerously pale and filled with scars and bruises.
You can barely lift up your eyes to look at him, but when you do a small painful smile makes it’s way to your face. “Joon…” you manage to say in a shaky voice.
“Who did this? I need a name, a species, a smell for fucks sake.” He growls and he doesn’t realize he is in tears till one falls on your face.
“Please, don’t do anything crazy.” You plead when you see the absolute rage and heartbreak expression on his face, his hands wrapping around you tighter as he holds you close.
“I have already,” he states again to your confused face and he swallows a lump in his throat before answering. “I accepted you as my mate.” He reveals with a shaky voice.
Your eyes widen and you slowly lift up your hand to caress his face and wipe his tears. He grabs your hand, bringing it to his chest. “So tell me, who did this to you so they can hurt as much as they hurt us.” He says again and you open your mouth to reply to him but something behind him quickly steals your attention.
You let out a gasp as your eyes widen and filled with terror. Just as he realizes a bunch of heavy footsteps have made their way into the small space you yell.
“No, wait! Please! He didn’t do it—!“
Before you can explain and anyone can take in your words, three tranquilizer darts are suddenly shot into Namjoon’s back.
His body stills and tenses up before his eyes roll to the back of his head and he collapses into your blood pool.
Your cries are the last thing you both hear before the world turns black and cold.
675 notes · View notes
jwirecs · 10 months
Text
RECOMMENDED BTS FICS OF JULY 2023💖
hello, hello! here are my bts recs of july! hopefully these beautiful stories get more recognition as well as the writers 💝
** anything in parentheses and bolded are my thoughts that can be disregarded if needed **
🔞smut || 💔angst || 💕fluff || ✅completed || 🔄ongoing || 💯favorite
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Alcohol Free || @blue-jisungs💕✅
↳ in which your best friend yoongi gets to know your secrets while you sip on various drinks. with each one, he’s more shocked… and amused.
Nothing’s Changed || @hoseokhasmyheartxx​​​​​🔞💕💔✅
↳ You and Yoongi have been best friends since college. The rest of your friend group wants to go on a couples’ trip, leaving you and Yoongi to share a room. But to your surprise, your room only has one bed… will the two of you be able to get through the week without letting the other know how you feel?
The Love Plaza || @mayolive-writes🔞💕✅💯💯
↳ Needing to take a break from the long trip to college, you and Jungkook are forced to stay at the only lodging available within 70 miles, a love motel. And much to Jungkook’s dismay, there’s only one bed.
Til You Make It || @jinkookspencil💕💔✅💯
↳ jungkook is startled when you call him in need of a favor... to play his dream role - your boyfriend - for a day...
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Bet On It || @minisugakoobies🔞💕✅💯💯
↳ What's a little wager between enemies? How about if it's your body on the line?
Lovin' You Right || @kookslastbutton🔞💕💔✅
↳ Your new badass neighbor won't leave you alone. You know the type, the guy your mama wouldn't want you bringing home. He'd break your heart as quick as he'd take it.
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5+1 || @joon4eva​​​​​​💕✅
↳ five times you wanted to tell Namjoon you loved him + the one time you finally did.
Baby Fever || @95rkives💕✅💯
↳ what was supposedly a peaceful morning stroll in the park, an unexpected encounter triggers namjoon’s intense desire for a baby, turning him into an adorable, baby fever-filled mess.
Cherry Flavored || @jjksblackgf🔞✅
↳ You bet with your boyfriend that he can't handle more than five minutes of your tongue, but Jungkook never turns away from a challenge. You'll make sure to keep him in his place.
Moving In || @dreamescapeswriting💕✅
↳ (this was an anon req to the writer, short summary: yoongi leaves his stuff at oc's apartment, slowly moving in. shts too cute man)
Panties Over Pastries || @genkima💕✅
↳ you and your lovely boyfriend, Jungkook, decided to have a baking date planned for today ! I wonder how it turns out..
Spicy 'N Sweet || @thvhoe​​​​​​🔞💕💔🔄💯💯💯
↳ Jeon Jungkook is the perfect guy… to piss off your parents. He’s buff, inked up and the definition of their worst nightmare but hey, when love comes knocking on your door there’s not much you can do. It’s not like you planned on falling for him… it just kind of happened, and honestly, you're not even mad about it. Not at all.
The Boxer's Girlfriend || @i-am-baechu🔞💕💔✅
↳ Jeon Jungkook is known throughout Korea as the top boxer. He’s swift in his attacks and calculated with everything. He’s dangerous in the ring but he was also dangerous to his girlfriend, Y/N L/N. 
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Cat Got Your Tongue? || @jessikahathaway🔞💕💔✅
↳ You were exhausted from schoolwork and just needed a chance to unwind. Jungkook, campus fuckboy, offers his services to help alleviate the stress from studying but is he going to cause more stress than he relieves?
Cherry || @peachypinkygloss🔞💕✅
↳ Jungkook has a crush on you and he does everything to conquer your heart (like eating your pussy whenever and wherever he feels like it).
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Bunny Buns || @kittyscupcakeandbunny🔞💕💔🔄
↳ Jungkook needed to hide. He was on the run. And what better place for a bunny hybrid to hide then a Bunny coffee shop? How could he resist? You smelled sweet and looked nice. All it took was one smile of yours and a bunny bread and he was on all fours for you.
Moon || @hobeemin🔞💕✅ Pt 2.
↳ (theres no summary, and i suck at summarizing, but im a sucker for hybrid fics so that says sometime.)
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Break My Mind's Eye || @flowerwrites06🔞💕✅
↳ Jungkook thinks marriage is the only way to seal a deal. 
Diamond Trail || @flowerwrites06🔞💕✅
↳ The theft of his most elusive and mystery possession leads to a web of trickery that threatens every large syndicate in the country. (alternative: Yoongis’ prized possession is stolen but he’s not the only gang leader being betrayed)
Distraction || @melancholy-of-nadia🔞✅
↳ After a series of circumstances leads you to be the assistant/right-hand woman of Bangkok's local thief/gang leader Min Suga, you're diligent in fulfilling your role in helping him take down Detective (& Underground Mafia Boss) Agust D. What you didn't expect in this role, was to catch your own boss reading p*rngraphic material during his free time and finding out there are consequences to distracting him.
Wishes || @i-am-baechu🔞💕💔🔄💯💯
↳ After a long day of classes, Min Yoongi decides to take a break at the music hall that has become his second home. He walks in with his cigarette lit and his blank expression quickly changes when he sees a girl playing his piano. The moment their eyes meet, their lives become complicated and Yoongi blames himself for her future pain. Was the love we had honest? (i dont have a gang!au banner so its going in with the mafia!au. also yall already know im a huge sucker fore mafia/gang au's along with hybrids. its currently on going, but i know that i will be on a roller coaster while reading this series)
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Devoted To Trouble || @jeonsweetpea🔞💕💔✅💯
↳ In which the whole world finds out Jungkook is Spider-Man, but he doesn’t care about anything but you. OR Can you survive seven days of Jungkook pining over you while his identity is exposed to the world? (i dont have a spider-man!au banner, but spider!kook????? when yoongi said that this man will annoy him even at the age of 100, lord where is the lie. but also, we love a persistent & annoyingly cute man.)
For Glory || @mono-moonchilds🔞💕💔✅💯💯
↳ A fight to the death. No rules, no refs, and nowhere to run.
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Monachopsis || @personasintro🔞💕💔🔄💯💯
↳ after receiving unpleasant news that doesn’t allow you to grow your family, your husband comes up with an idea that unfortunately involves his brother whom he despises (wasnt too sure what au this fic would fall under but i say it goes under the parent au cause min yoongi gon be a father whether he likes it or not.)
Seven || @joonberriess🔞✅
↳ “You know night after night, I’ll be fuckin’ you right,” or: “Girl hold on my baby daddy calling again.”
Unconditionally || @rmsrkive💔🔄💯
↳ for the past three, almost four years, it has only been you and your twins after having been abandoned by your ex-boyfriend. you expected it to remain that way for the rest of your lives until one day you accidentally run into one of his bandmates at the park 
Way Back Home || @solemnreads🔞💕💔🔄💯💯
↳ "please tell me this isn't what i think it is" he asks you with tears in his eyes. you look down at the sight of your son with an oxygen mask on his face while your daughter is sleeping on the couch near the wall. you look into his eyes, broken and sad. you've dreamt of this day for years, wondering how he would react. but here you are, hoping he could've meet the twins under different circumstances. "yes...they're your children."
Wrong Time || @spideyjimin🔞💕💔✅💯💯
↳ meeting ten years later the girl he deeply fell in love with is something Jungkook never thought would happen. But here you are, standing before his eyes with a bright smile on your face as you walk through the massive lobby of his company. At that exact moment, he realizes that the two of you fell in love at the wrong time but is now the right time?  
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Added Color || @bangtansmaus​💕💔✅💯
↳ Yumi was perfectly fine with not finding her soulmate yet. she never really cared about the idea of soulmates. she’s fine with just running her bakery and living with her brother Jimin and their two best friends Jungkook and Taehyung.
Do check out all of the other BTS Fics that i have reblogged as well!!
** if there is any fics that you guys would like to recommend, please do! i am slowly running out of fics to read **
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Text
Loved By Seven | Chapter 5
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Genre: Hybrid!AU, Poly!AU, Mate!AU, romance, fluff
Pairing: OT7 x Reader
Characters: Human!Reader, Peacock!Seokjin, Serpent!Yoongi, Hawk!Hoseok, White Tiger!Namjoon, Merman!Jimin, Leopard!Taehyung, Wolf!Jungkook
Summary: Hiking was just an activity to get you out of the apartment, the last thing you imagined was ending in a whole different world by touching a jewel. That not being enough you end up meeting seven hybrids, and they all claim you shared the Connection with each of them making you their partner for life.
Notes: Hi! This is the first part of the 200 followers celebration, the fifth chapter of this story; the second part is a one shot from my masterlist, I already have one in mind that I hope you'll like it. If you have any idea for what I should do when we hit 300 followers you can leave an ask. Thank you so much for the love the seires has been receiving, I'll try to mantain the same rhythm for the updates. Likes, reblogs, comments are always appreciated. English is not my first language so pardon me if anything is misspelled or grammatically incorrect. Also the main idea came from a webtoon but I can’t remember it’s name. Enjoy!
Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Support me?
With Taehyung at work and full from breakfast, you and Jiwoo explore the apartment and now you know it's way bigger than you imagine it; which makes you think that here getting a place to live is cheaper than in your world or Taehyung makes a lot of money What can be his job? I mean it definitely allows him to live quite well. You find out there are four rooms, the main one (the one you basically throw him out of), two guest rooms (with a bathroom each) and a huge library; aside from a big kitchen, the dining room, a grand living room and a laundry room. "Wow you're boyfriend lives quite good N/N" "He's not my boyfriend!" "Yet" Jiwoo chuckles at your bright face "But I do wonder what his job is" "Or the real state here is better than ours" Jiwoo adds.
Checking exploring the apartment on your list, you guys go back to the main room to take a shower "Hey Ji, can you help me unwrap this? So I can take a shower" "Sure" she sits down on the bed next to your ankle and starts taking off the bandage. With the bandage off, she goes to the drawer your clothes are in and takes the only stuff you have left "Well, we should use that washing machine we found otherwise we won't have anything to wear" Jiwoo says, taking out her clothes, and you nod at her words. Before going to get you, she puts your clothes on top of, what she thinks is, a shelf to organize your clothes to put them on after a shower or a bath Damn this is rich people type of stuff; and takes out a towel from a drawer in front of the sink.
"Let's go" Jiwoo exits the bathroom and helps you up, to hop to the bathroom; once inside you take oof your clothes, relive yourself on the toilet and enter the shower It would be nice to take a bath but I don't want to impose more than I already have. I'm sorry Taehyung I'm using your stuff again you think when you pick up a bottle of shampoo and start massaging your scalp, rinsing it out, you pick up a gel shower bottle and start spreading it on your body, but by doing that your thoughts go to the fact that you're in the same place where Taehyung's been naked just like you're now No no no no F/N don't think stuff like that, you're taking advantage of his kindness by thinking that you cover your red face with your face, and rinse all soap as fast as you can, with cold water.
With your feet really dry, to prevent more sprained ankles, you hop to where your clothes are and hop again towards the toilet to sit and dress yourself like you undressed the night before, sited. Already dressed, you hop to the sink and wash your face with Taehyung's face soap, rinse it and apply his moisturizer. You open the door and Jiwoo's waiting for you at the end of the bed to help you hop to the bed. She sit next to you to help you bandage your walk but you say with a smile "Jiwoo go wash yourself up, I got this" "Are you sure?" "Yeah, go" you point with your head towards the bathroom "Okay". By yourself, you apply the ointment and try to wrap up your ankle, it's not as good as how the doctor did but it's tight That's the important thing right? For the bandage to be tight no matter how it's wrapped up.
A few minutes later, Jiwoo's done with showering and asks, "Well, what we do now? There's nothing to eat, and there's nothing to do" "Well, we can't go out. We don't have keys, we don't know this city. As for food, we'll just have to wait until he comes back. He must have a TV somewhere, and we have to wash our clothes and the dishes from breakfast. " You two exit the room with your clothes on hand "Okay. I'll leave you at the laundry room and I'll go to wash the dishes" Jiwoo says "Deal" and you hop to the laundry room.
Jiwoo leaves you, and now you're in front of two very advanced machines Okay, I can do this, if I cracked the old washing machine at our place I can figure this ones out. You read what it says on the buttons, and look around in hopes to find a manual, which luckily you do Oh well, it's definitely easier than ours you also spot a laundry basket kinda full I should also wash his clothes, as a thank you for all the troubles you smile when picking out his clothes and putting them inside, by doing it you smell something delicious, curious by the source of the smell you bring a t-shirt to your nose it smells like white chocolate Maybe he ate something covered in white chocolate and the shirt got impregnated with the smell leaving it at that you finish with the clothes and start the machine, the cycle spends an hour washing the clothes.
Knowing it would be better to wait for Jiwoo you sit on the floor, trying not to put pressure on your ankle. After another 10 minutes Jiwoo makes an appearance "Ooohhh, you made it work" "Yeah, Taehyung left the manual handy and it was very easy, at least easier than the one at home" you chuckle "That darn thing" she grumbles "How about I leave you at the living room and when this is done I come and pass the clothes to the dryer" "I'm gonna take the offer for the lift but I want to finish the entire chore, otherwise I'll die from boredom" you pout at her "Okay" she chuckles.
Hopping to the living you still don't see anything to entertain yourselves with, not even a TV "Does he not have a TV here? Are there no TVs in this world?" Jiwoo asks scared "I don't think there aren't any TVs here I mean our worlds are pretty identical so maybe he doesn't have one because he doesn't like it" you conclude. Sitting on the couch looking at ceiling, an idea popped on your mind "Can you help me get to the library? Maybe I can find an interesting book there" "Okay, let's go", you support one of your arms around her shoulder and her towards said room.
Inside, you find a comfortable egg chair next to a large window with a beautiful city view and a big comfortable sofa which Jiwoo has already eyes on it. She plops down on the sofa "Don't you want a book?" you ask her "No, I think I'll just let dreamland call me" "Okay" you answer looking through the shelves Maybe we do have things in common, he has rows and rows of fantasy and sci-fi books you smile passing your fingers through the books' spines Apparently he also likes photography maybe it's a hobby of his you think when you see a few books on that subject.
With a book on hand, you sit on the egg chair and start reading. You're so engrossed in the story you almost didn't hear an alarm going off Wow the hour is already up you turn the chair to look at Jiwoo, but find her asleep so soundly she's snoring a little bit. Not wanting to wake her up you decide to hop by yourself to the laundry room. You support yourself with the hall walls, and hop by hop you get to your destination. Pulling out you girl's clothes and his clothes from the washing machine, without paying much attention at the white chocolate smell, you put them inside the dryer, you read the labels on it and a some information from the manual and turn it on Okay another two hours of waiting you think, leaving everything set you hop back to the library.
Inside the library, you see Jiwoo still sleeping and hop back to the comfy chair you were in. The book in your hands has you really engrossed This book is really good, I mean for obvious reasons I've never heard about the author nor the plot, but if this is a series and it's not finished and I leave miraculously back to my world I'll cry you almost hug the book from your thoughts. You keep on reading until that faint alarm is on again. Knowing is from the dryer you get up, hop to see Jiwoo This girl is sleeping way too much…or maybe she's faking it you touch her shoulder with tiny force but that only makes her turn around and wave her hand at you She's so cute you chuckle. Hopping to the library you see a watch on the wall Wow it's almost noon, I'm gonna feel hunger in any moment you pout but continue hoping to the laundry room.
You take out all the clothes and put them in a basket labeled "Clean" with coffee dots around the letters Cute you smile at the mental image of a Taehyung labeling baskets. With basket in hand, you decide it's way too far for you to hop to the library, besides your foot's been hurting a little bit from all the hopping around, so you settle for the living room. You sit on the biggest sofa, from the three available, and pull the table on the center towards you so you could have a place to elevate your foot, already settled you start folding the clothes and putting them in piles next to you on the sofa Ignore Taehyung's underwear, just ignore it, just like you've been ignoring the white chocolate smell all morning. Folding the last shirt you hear ruckus on the door and suddenly a Taehyung filled with bags comes into view once the door is open "I'm home".
"OMG Taehyung, let me help you" you try to rush, but accidentally you stand up with both feet and winced Well if it wasn't hurting before now it definitely is and quickly sit down again. Taehyung watching this closes the door as fast as he can, and runs to you leaving the bags in the sofa next to where you are, and one in particular he leaves it on top of the table "Beautiful you can't do that, you'll hurt your ankle more" he crouches next to you, only the point of his tail moving slowly "Did Jiwoo bandage you? Because it got loose" he looks up at you, with those big brown eyes of him leaving you breathless for a moment, and starts wrapping your foot  "Mmm, no, I did it myself…I swear it was tight but with all the hopping I guess it got loose" you say with red ears feeling a little embarrassed, about the bandage but also about your reaction at him. Then he notices the folded clothes next to you "Did you do the laundry?" "Yeah" you smile at him "Why didn't Jiwoo do it? You know you can't move much" your smile faded "Well, she did the dishes and she was gonna do the laundry but I told her not to because we couldn't find something to entertain ourselves with and I didn't want to feel useless " he finishes bandaging you, but you continue "So I washed the clothes while she washed the dishes and the hopped to the library, because we reckoned your apartment…it's really nice" he smiles at you at that, however you continue "And while the clothes were washing I picked one of your books and started reading, by the way I'm sorry that I've been using your stuff without asking for your permission like your shampoo, body wash, face soap, moisturizer, cooking utensils and now your books" you looked at your hands ashamed, Taehyung almost coos at this and brings his hand to your face, grabs softly your chin and lifts it up "But Beautiful…Well, first, I have a TV is right there" he points at a blank space "You just have to lift it up" you look at him confused, he chuckles "I'll show you later. Second, you're not useless you're hurt, once you're on top shape you can do anything you want" he gives you a boxy smile "And third, you can use anything you want, everything I have here is yours too" you light up like Christmas tree after he says that.
"Let's go eat now, I bet you're hungry" as soon as he says that your stomach rumbles and he laughs "I guess I'm getting to know you better, at least your eating habit" "Shut up" you mumble dreading the embarrassment you're feeling right now. He picks you up bridal style making yell a little bit "H-h-hey I can hop to the kitchen" "Nu-uh, while I'm here you won't be doing that" he sits you down in a stool and exits the kitchen. Now that he's not next to you, you feel how the white chocolate smell has increased since he got home Does it come from him? But I didn't smell this yesterday…ugh, I don't understand and even if I don't want to ask him because this makes me feel like a crazy person, he maybe knows what and why is happening.
He comes back with the bag he left at the table in the living room, and puts it on the island "Where's Jiwoo?" "She's sleeping in the library" "I'll bring her" he turns "Mmm…Taehyung?" "Yes Beautiful?" he faces you again "Can I take out what's inside the bag?" you look at him with bright hopeful eyes "Sure" he chuckles. You open the bag and take out three smaller bags, you open them and take out from each a plate with what looks like lasagna, tiny bags with bread and three bottles with what looks like the soda Taehyung gave you yesterday. You wait sited moving the leg, with the good foot, like a little kid; Taehyung watches this, walking towards you with Jiwoo beside him, and falls for you even more.
Inside the kitchen, Jiwoo sits next to you, rubbing her eyes, and Taehyung, with a pout, sits in front of you "This is one has meat, this one has chicken and this one has meat again but has extra cheese in it" he explains each plate "Can I have the cheesy one?" you ask excitedly "Sure" he takes off the wrap and passes it to you with a fork, he also opens the soda for you "Thank you" you give him a tiny smile, you've read enough romantic books to know these kind of gestures are when the person has a romantic interest in other "I'll take the one with chicken, Taehyung" Jiwoo says "Sure" he passes her the plate, the bottle and the fork. The both take off the wrap from the plate, and all three of you start eating "Wow, this lasagna is so good" you say "Yes, I'll even say it's better than yours" Jiwoo slightly punches you, joking with you "Do you know how to make lasagna Beautiful?" "Yes, sometimes" you smile at him "Then I can't to try it" he smiles at you. You're eating in silence when something pops in your mind "Taehyung, do you work nearby? I mean otherwise how can you be eating lunch with us" "I left early" he answers with mouth half full "Oh, are you sick?" you say worriedly "No? I feel fine" he answers with his head tilted to the side and animal ears standing up "Then if you're not sick how did you get permission?" Jiwoo adds "I just didn't want to be without for too long" he answers so truthfully, you can see it in his eyes, that you almost choke up with what was in your mouth "What is your job?" you finally ask, after drinking a sip of soda "I'm a model" you open your eyes as much as you can when the leopard reveals this "You're a m-mo-model?" you can't believe it, Jiwoo chuckles at this "I knew, someone as handsome as you can't have a desk job" "What kind of modeling you do?" you ask him softly "Mostly photography, sometimes runways" he answers like he's talking about the weather Well, he does it for a living so he must be comfortable talking about it "I had more shoots after the one in the morning but I told my manager to cancel the ones in the afternoon so I could be here with you" he answers before you can make the question "Are you famous? I mean you have a very nice apartment, not to mention big" Jiwoo asks "Maybe? I mean some people think I'm famous" he touches his neck in embarrassment.
You're in shock at what this man does for a living so you just keep eating the lasagna until there is nothing more to eat, not even the bread "Are you okay Beautiful? You stop talking" Taehyung asks, he's nervous because you haven't said anything since he said he's a model Does she not like it? Because I can quit and find another job more to her liking "Do you not like my job? Because I can quit and find something you like" he quickly voices his thoughts "What?!" you almost scream "You can't quit because of me…It's just that I know you're handsome" "You think I'm handsome" he smiles sheepishly, but you don't hear him because you continue your rant "Bu-but I never thought you would be a model and I'm just surprised that's all…Besides you said like we're destined or something and I'm definitely way too normal to be with someone like you" you close your mouth with your hand to stop you from saying anything else, surprised at what you just said "Are you accepting me?" he says with a big smile "I don't know" you answer truthfully "Ohh" he mumbles, a sad expression makes its way to his face, his animal ears also lose their perkiness But she said it, maybe she's just scared of accepting her feelings, I can wait for her. Jiwoo knows she has to intervene now "Uh, Taehyung, what are those bags outside?" "Let's go see what I brought you" he stands up and goes for you to lift you up "Don't say anything Beautiful, I'm not letting you hop" he says seeing how you're about to protest, so you just shut your open mouth.
He leaves you on the couch in the most possible delicate way, and sits down next to you. To leave the two love birds together, Jiwoo sits in the other couch. The first thing he takes out of one of the bags is two boxes "First, I bought the groceries so" he turns to Jiwoo "Jiwoo, can you help me accommodate them" "Sure" she answers "Now, this one is for you Beautiful" he gives you one of the boxes and you notice is a phone "and this one is for you Jiwoo" he gives her the other box "Taehyung, you shouldn't have" you gasp "Of course I had to, besides I wanted to" he smiles at you "Please open it" you do as he says, and gasp once again "It's pink, look Ji it's pink!" you show her "Mine is white" she now shows you her new phone "It already has the most important apps, and it also has my phone number" you notice he put himself in as "Tae " Cute, does he want me to call him like that? I'll have to ask Jiwoo what's his name in her phone…What if I'm imagining things and it's not something special. "I also bought you clothes, it's just a few we can go in a few days again when you're ankle is better" he looks at you, and you nod at him. "Thank you so much Taehyung, you didn't have to" you impulsively hug him, he's shocked but gets out of it fast to return the embrace Wow, hugging her like this I can smell the white chocolate even more he closes his eyes and inhales more, after a while you let each other go at the same time, and smile at each other for a few seconds He's so handsome She's so beautiful.
Jiwoo interrupts the moment to talk about something more serious than groceries, clothes o phones "Taehyung" he looks at her "he have to talk about something" he frowns but doesn't say anything "I think you've noticed how we know almost nothing about, hybrids or technology. It's not because he have amnesia or something like that" At first I did think that, but I guess it's something more he thinks "It's because we're not from this world" he open his eyes, absorbing the new information "But before we explain that to you, we would like to know about your world first and how hybrids came to be" you look at him nodding "Can you tell us, please?".
Taglist: @lovely247 @apathina @kalala22 @singukieee @tinyoonsblog @arantxaglezz @btsiguess-kpop @lachimolala22019 @goldeneclipsedragon @sophiaj650 @sukunasstomachtongue @djodjom1 @uarmyhore @to-see-without-eyyes @chatsgotmytongue @kyuupidwrites @thebisexualonesworld @minjianhyung if you don’t want to be on this taglist anymore let me know :), and if you want to be just leave a comment saying so :)
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What if... the CEOs were hybrids? Part three | BTS OT7 AU
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Its been a long while my lovelies and I apologise, hopefully making up for it with the third instalment of the what if series, starting us off with some 7.7K words about hybrid CEOs.
Trigger warnings: Possessive/obsessive behaviour, jealousy, scenting, usual hybrid trope things, swearing, testosterone, I don't know if being mean is a trigger warning but here it is. Angst.
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Playlist : Fire Escape - Matthew Mayfield, Delicate - Damien Rice
Hybrids: KNJ - Wolf, KSJ - Bear, MYG - Panther, JHS - Lion, PJM - Arctic fox, KTH - Tiger, JJK - Bunny.
You smelled like him, that was the first thing the trio noticed on their first day back to work when you passed them by. That's why the hyungs looked so sullen at home, why they were no longer coming home with your scent lingering on their clothes. And why Yoongi and Namjoon could barely stand to be in the same room for longer than a minute without tearing into each other about something stupid, all while avoiding the topic of you. 
The miasmic cloud of misery seemed to be hanging over all of their heads, following them without mercy from its downpour. You were avoiding their gazes, the maknaes watched you across the office longingly, waiting for you to greet them, to make the first move they were too afraid to make.
“This is stupid, we’ve known her longer than the human oaf,” Jimin mutters under his breath to the other two. “My angel isn’t one to hold a grudge, let’s just go and say hello.”
As brave as his words sounded, he could feel his heart in his throat, choking back any greeting he wanted to give you. 
“What if she’s still upset with us?” Jungkook’s bunny ears flopped, his own sadness weighing them down as he nervously struggled to keep his eyes on you. How did it get like this? He told you only a week ago you were part of their pack, now they were terrified to talk to you. 
“She doesn’t want to speak to us,” Taehyung states bluntly, while Jungkook could barely look at you, the tiger’s eyes never left you. He could read you like a book, you were ignoring them, and he hated it. All for that stupid human, the anger and jealousy burned inside of him. You never paid anyone else any interest all this time, to the point where he really believed you had feelings for them, and now another’s scent lingered on you, taunting him. How did he get it so wrong? 
He turns away first, walking out of the working space leaving Jungkook and Jimin to reluctantly follow, once last longing look your way, lingering there for as long as possible as they pleaded silently with you to meet them halfway. 
You take a deep breath as you approach his private office, bracing yourself for whatever the hell reason it was today he demanded you come to see him. All week there was a new reason, a new mundane task, more workload, more grumpy attitude from the CEO as he stared daggers into you like he was reverting back to who he was when he met you, when he didn’t trust you. But you could see through it, to an extent, the panther was punishing you and you were letting him . 
You exhale, it sounds almost like a sigh before you knock on the door, a gruff voice replying.
“Depyunim, you asked for me?” You greet him politely when you open the door.
“Take a seat,” he responds without looking up from the paperwork in front of him.
You hesitate, this was how it always started, you sitting there in silence fidgeting for however long he decided before he actually addresses you again. Only today the workload was catching up with you, you couldn’t afford to waste your time with his antics. 
Your reluctance to follow instruction makes him look up at you, not a single emotion on his face, his eyes almost black, void of the man you once knew. 
“Is there a problem Miss L/n?”
Ah. That was the other thing he started doing, he didn’t call you kitten anymore. It shouldn’t still cut you like this, and honestly you thought you had gotten used to it after a whole week, but every time it knocked the wind out of you like a punch to the gut. You were too terrified to call him by his name or question him over it, something told you his bite would be worse than his bark. Even now, where you would normally challenge his behaviour, you couldn’t muster the courage to. 
You shake your head, taking your seat like you had the previous days before. He returns to his paperwork without a word. The atmosphere between you was unbearable, every time you sat in this chair you wanted to bawl your eyes out, and every day you forced yourself to hold the tears back. 
“Depyunim…” you couldn’t take it anymore, you watch the pen in Yoongi’s hand pause at the sound of your voice. “I don’t want to rush you, but I have to get the Enhyphen contracts done by 4.”
You tried to say it calmly, softly, politely, but the stone in your throat made it difficult to speak. You fiddle with your fingers in your lap, bracing yourself nervously. He exhales loudly out of his nose, as if you were testing his patience, resuming his writing without a verbal response. 
In all honesty, you were misreading his behaviour. Yoongi was angry at himself. What was he trying to do? Push you away? Keep you close? Make you waste an entire day with him, so you’d be forced to stay late to catch up and then you wouldn’t go to see that human he could smell on you? What exactly was he trying to achieve? He was just so angry all the time since that day. That stench that didn’t belong on you was frying his brain cells, making him act like a possessive panther, enraging him even when he couldn’t smell it. He was desperately trying to keep you as close to him as possible whenever he could, keeping you in his office, his personal den, away from the thing that was taking you from him. 
He hears you sniff, it's small but audible, it stuns him frozen, scared that tears would follow, that he was the one to cause them. As hurt as he was, as miserable, the last thing he wanted to do was make you cry. The grip on his pen tightens. He owes you an explanation for his behaviour, his abuse of his power, he knows it, but how does he start? 
“Did I do something?” Your small voice makes him finally look up at you, almost snapping his neck in the process of how quick his attention turned. 
His hard expression melts into one of shock, jaw dropping an inch as he takes in the way you’re trying to smile despite the sadness coming off of you in waves. 
“No.” Is it a lie? It sounded firm, something that left no room for questions, but he can’t convince himself that it was true. 
In your mind you’ve already come to conclusions about the change in atmosphere, observing their attitude towards you and knowing it coincided with Eric coming into your life. You’re not stupid, you know they saw you as a packmate, so a new foreign scent was going to drive them over the edge. You just thought it would have settled by now, that they would’ve gotten used to it. 
But how could you act hurt when you were the one to instigate the change, to pull away for your own peace of mind. You put up walls and boundaries, knowing what the consequences would be. You couldn’t complain now, even if your whole body ached with missing them, despite working with them almost every day. Distance didn’t have to be physical, you could prove that. 
“Okay,” you accept it, plastering on a patient content smile on your face that didn’t feel right. Yoongi doesn’t like it, he knows it’s fake, but he turns back to his paperwork like a coward, unable to confront you or let you go. 
“What’s this?” Namjoon’s eyes are aflame as he shows you the email on his laptop, his eyes unbreaking from staring down your small figure in front of his desk. 
“I-it’s a request for a job reference,” you state the obvious, trying not to tremble in front of his heated glare. 
“I can see that babygirl,” he sounds almost condescending, the fire in his chest unable to remain contained in front of you. “Is there a problem here working in this company?”
You gulp a little, shaking your head since you couldn’t trust your voice to stay steady. 
“Then why would you even think about applying elsewhere?” He almost growls, almost. 
He sucks in his cheeks, trying to calm himself down, knowing what a hypocrite he was being. He told the others to keep their distance, to stop with this mating nonsense especially since you were obviously interested in someone else. All those times he told the others to respect your choices, and here he was eating his own words. Employees come and go, it’s a given in any business, but you, over his dead body was he ready or willing to let you leave. He didn’t even consider it an option. 
“What is it, Y/n?” he pushes, “Is it the pay? The workload? What would make you decide to leave when all you have to do to fix anything is speak to me.”
He was seething, but his anger wasn’t directed at you, it was the fear he was hiding in the flames speaking for him. 
“I was just exploring my options,” you can’t meet his eyes when you say it, your focus aimed at the edge of his desk. You knew logically you didn’t have to answer a thing, didn’t have to justify your actions, but you felt compelled to. This wasn’t just your boss, this was the man you had been in love with for years. You respected him far too much.
“Anything any company can offer you I can match or double,” he still sounds so angry, but he can’t help it. “You want a pay rise? Done. Promotion? Whatever position babygirl, it’s yours. Anything you want.” Just don’t leave. 
The corner of your lip rises an inch, a humourless sad smile on your face as you hold back a scoff. Your eyes start to water, you don’t want to say a word. He couldn’t give you what you wanted, you wanted him, you wanted the others, and if he ever knew he would throw you out of the company himself. You were doing him a favour by removing yourself, but you couldn’t tell him, because regardless of what you thought were noble actions, you knew you wouldn’t be able to take the look of hate or disgust in his eyes if it was directed at you. 
“You’re the biggest asset this company has ever had,” he explains, needing to cover his outburst before you read between the lines. It wasn’t a lie, but it sure wasn’t the reason why he was so desperate for you to stay. “I’m not letting you go without putting up a fight.” 
You wanted him to stop. It wasn’t fair how he made your heart sway and burn when he didn’t feel the same way. You hear him sigh, collecting his words, the hesitation makes you finally glance at him.
“Does this have anything to do with why you were crying last week?” He asks cautiously, his gaze inspecting your every reaction and movement.
“No,” you lie, “I told you, I was just overwhelmed with the workload.”
You sounded so flat, it made him ache. He fights the instinct to wrap you in his arms, smothering the voice in his head that was telling him something was wrong with his mate, reminding that incessant voice that you chose someone else. It was happening more and more frequently recently, he was arguing with himself all the time. The same conversation with himself repeating everyday whenever he saw you.
She chose someone else, he says to himself firmly, shutting down any chance of a counter argument. He doesn’t notice the grip on his pen is deadly until it cracks under the pressure, ink spilling all over his hands. 
“Joonie!” Maybe it was instinct that tore away all the boundaries you were building, but you race to his hand in worry as if he had injured himself. He felt the tug in his chest again the second you said his name, finding himself gazing at you softly. There’s a frown forming as you take his hand, looking it over in case he cut himself. He doesn’t pull away, even though he knows he should. You had him wrapped around your little finger, and although he didn’t mind, it was starting to hurt. 
“Are you okay?” You ask him, glancing up at his face to ensure he wasn’t in pain before returning to inspect his soiled hands. 
He knew he was pretending nothing had changed since you started dating, but his whole world turned upside down and he had to grit his teeth through it. He had to lead the others by example, but doing what was right rather than what he wanted was getting harder each time he saw you. Each time he could smell that disgusting odour on you it flared his jealousy, it had only been a week, how often were you seeing this boy in a week that his scent was always on you? 
“I don’t think you’re bleeding,” you mumble, more to yourself than to him, that frown of concern still cemented on your face as if you refused to trust the evidence he was unscathed. 
He hates it when you pull away, your own hand stained with ink from holding his. You glance down at them, lips turning up an inch as if you found it humorous for reasons unknown to him. You were laughing at yourself, all that progress you thought you were making away from them was bullshit, the state of your hands were proof enough of that. 
“I think I need to go wash my hands,” you chuckle, moving away from him. 
He fights back the instinct to grab your hand in a desperate attempt of keeping you with him, words lodged in his throat. He controls himself as you walk out of the office, feeling like a hopeless puppy rather than a wolf. 
“Did you hear, Y/n got herself a boyfriend!”
“No way, for sure thought she was courting the CEOs.”
“She obviously tried and failed.”
Jin sighs, closing his eyes trying to contain the disappointment he felt in his employees as they gossiped about you, not realising he was within earshot. He tries not to listen, tries not to focus on the details of your new relationship, but gossip spreads like wildfire in the company, the details getting warped as they were whispered. 
He scoffs. What did they know? They were all wrong about your affection for them, it was the other way round, they were courting you. It was plain and obvious for anyone to see but in the eyes of your jealous and spiteful colleagues, you were the instigator. Perhaps it was a blessing you unknowingly rejected them, he hated to think of what rumours would try to taint you if they were successful. He says it to himself so convincingly he can almost pretend it doesn’t taste bitter. Why was everyone so blind? Why were you so clueless? Why was everything so complicated?
He sighs to himself as he makes his way to the meeting room, half an hour early. Some habits die hard, some don’t die at all. Just as he expected you were already there setting up, he would’ve smiled if it wasn’t for the smell that hits him, the reminder. He could pretend nothing was changing, but the truth was hard to deny. 
“Need any help, beautiful girl?” he says, his sudden presence making you jump out of your skin. He grins at that at least.
“I’m almost done,” you laugh lightly, hand on your heart as it raced, refusing to calm down even when you knew there was no threat. You don’t know why but you were becoming increasingly nervous around Jin, a paranoid part of you thought he could see right through what you were doing, and you were afraid he would call you out. 
He hums in acknowledgement, approaching you slowly, his eyes boring into you as if you would disappear from sight if he so much as blinked. 
“You’re early,” you comment, trying to focus on anything other than his stare. 
“I wanted to spend time with my beautiful girl,” he confesses against his better judgement. He didn’t want things to change, so what if you were dating a moron, you were still his mate. 
Your pulse was beating faster the closer he got. Jin refused to let you pull away, it was why you thought he knew what you were doing. He didn’t let anything change. Boundaries? Fine, he’d respect them, but you trying to create a distance from him? It would kill him. 
“I-I, umm…” You can’t find an excuse to leave the room, and when he stands in front of you only inches away you lose your train of thought all together. His eyes implore down to your own, the softest smile admiring you without attempting to hide it at all.
“Hmmm?” he hums again, asking you to go on with a slight smirk, reading the effect he had on you, proof that you liked him too. 
You’re sure you look like a fish out of water to the amused bear in front of you playing with his food. 
“What’s wrong honey?”
You gulp, his eyes turning dangerous and knowing underneath the light expression he held. Maybe you liked that new term of endearment a little too much, Jin swore he could hear your heartbeat flatline for a second. He takes a step closer, basking in the warmth radiating from your heated form, just more evidence, more reassurance that he hadn’t gotten it wrong. You loved them too, the only issue was Namjoon’s inability to see it, and whatever the hell you were doing with that boy he could smell on you. 
The urge to get rid of it with his own scent was driving him up the wall. It would be so easy, but he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. Crossing boundaries was how you all got into the predicament, he wasn’t about to make it worse. 
Your mouth opens and closes, repeatedly without words like the proverbial fish. Didn’t you ask the maknaes what hybrid you would be? Well you know the answer now. 
“Are you ill honey?” He presses the back of his hand to your forehead. He can’t help it, just something small, something that can be brushed off as concern. “You’re burning up.”
By the look on his face you can tell he knows exactly why that is. The smirk is gone, his face unusually serious with a challenge in his eyes to prove him wrong. 
“I-I’m fine,” you don’t sound it when you push his hand away from your face, but you force yourself to brush it off. “Honestly Jin, I’m fine.”
Before he can investigate any further, you turn away from him, feeling his stare on your back as you finish setting up for the meeting. It doesn’t go unnoticed by him that you repeat certain things, or take your time, obviously trying to avoid any more interactions with him. He laughs to himself in pity, maybe he did get it all wrong. 
It's silent in their office, it has been all week. No one seemed to muster the energy to talk, not even the maknaes now they were back. Namjoon half expected them to whine or complain openly about the situation, but they were too deflated to speak. A burning guilt seared right down his centre, realising his punishment was part of the reason they wouldn’t be open about their feelings, he was their alpha and he lost their trust. But they couldn’t see he was just trying to protect everyone, that was his burden. 
Hoseok walked in, doom and gloom written all over his face, a visible sigh through his lips, his eyes concentrated on the ground as he walked. A part of him wanted to hide in Yoongi’s office, not really wanting to be alone but not wanting company either, but he couldn't impose and the panther had been a bit volatile recently. He can’t remember the last time Yoongi willingly came into the main office since his argument with Namjoon. The two were avoiding each other thinking that was the best way to avoid conflict, in reality it was just making things ten times worse.
“I think I’m going to transfer to another floor,” he says nonchalantly as he stands at his desk, the others gawping at his words. 
“Hyung,” Jimin sounds equal parts outraged and upset. “You can’t.”
“Floor seven needs better management,” he says, not meeting anyone’s eyes. 
“And the real reason Hyung?” Taehyung scoffs.
He doesn’t answer for a moment, wanting to keep it repressed inside, but this was his pack, his family, they knew him better than anyone else. 
“I can’t take the smell,” he confesses quietly. “Everytime I look at her all I can see is someone else's hands on her, I-”
He cuts himself off, taking a breath. His emotions were spilling, overwhelmingly so inside of his chest, the only way out was through his mouth as words, but he locks it shut. 
“We won’t let a girl come between us or the company,” Namjoon states after minutes of silence, his voice quiet but firm. “We’ve worked together since the start, we’ve had problems before and we’ve gotten through them every time, this is no different.”
It was like he was brushing the situation off, that’s what made them stare at the leader of their pack aghast. A girl? A problem? Did he seriously just say that?
“But she’s not just a girl Namjoon,” Hoseok sounds so heartbroken that he even implied it, not holding back his words even though he knew it wasn’t a subject to approach the lead CEO with. “She’s our mate.”
Namjoon sighs, ready to have the conversation again for the hundredth time but Hobi doesn’t let him.
“You can deny it to yourself and the rest of us,” he says. “That doesn’t make it any less true.”
He doesn’t want to hear the lectures today, doesn’t want to sit through another spiel about how it would never work, so he left the office before the wolf could start. It was just his bad luck that he ran into you as he walked out, your form colliding into his chest. 
“Woah-” It’s instinct the way his arms wrap around you to hold you steady, and he blames instinct as to why he's so reluctant to let you leave. Your palms are on his chest, burning through the fabric of his shirt, finally giving him some of the warmth he had been craving for a while. 
“Sorry,” you say sheepishly, pulling away, but he doesn’t release you. You look up at him in confusion. “Are you okay?”
No, I'm not okay sunshine. He’s missed you, the confession almost leaves his lips. But instead he smiles through the gut wrenching pain of letting you go, carrying on as if nothing had happened. 
Twice in one day? What had you done to deserve it? You march over to Yoongi’s office this time, the pile of work starting to stack itself into the leaning tower of pisa on your desk. You don’t even knock, opening the door to greet the panther. 
“Depyunim you calle-”
“You need to rewrite this,” he cuts you off without looking at you, holding the files you dropped off earlier before they slammed on his desk. 
“What’s wrong with it?” you challenge quietly, knowing that you checked it over ten times before giving it to him. 
“You need to change the font,” he states matter of factly. What the- was he kidding?
“This again?” you groan, rolling your eyes in without thinking, patience wearing thin. “There’s nothing wrong with the font!”
Yoongi stands up so quickly his chair almost falls back, he strides over to you, eyes pinning you down where you stood just outside his office. The doorway between you shouldn’t symbolise so much, but when he looks down at you with an anger simmering in his eyes, you can’t ignore that it does. 
“I’m a CEO of this company,” his voice is quiet, dangerously so. “If I tell you that it needs changing, there shouldn’t be any questions about it kitten.”
The pet name slips before he can stop it, but he can see your eyes soften at the term despite the way you were trying to challenge him. Your hands ball into fists by your side, trying to stop the ache that came with hearing him call you that again. Trying to pretend you didn’t miss the sound with your whole being. 
“I’m not changing the font Min Yoongi,” you keep your voice and gaze steady, ready to win this battle between you both. 
He almost smirks, it was instinct when his kitten got out her claws, he couldn’t help it. 
“I’m telling you to.”
“Fine, if you’re going to be stubborn about it let’s take it to Namjoon and he can tell us if you’re being unreasonable or not,” you argue back not realising that was the wrong button to press, but how were you to know of the ruins of their relationship. 
“This isn’t Namjoon’s project,” he can hear the growl in his words, taking a heavy step towards you. 
The way his eyes turned black in a second made a shiver go down your spine, goosebumps jumping out of your skin, warning you that you pushed the panther too far. The next step he takes has you gulp, survival instinct taking over as you take a step back, keeping the distance between you the same, moving into the corridor. 
“It's mine,” he looks so disgusted at you, hate pouring out in his words and his glare, aimed far away from you but unfortunately you were on the receiving end. Kim Namjoon was not a name to be uttered in his presence. “So if I tell you, to change the font Miss L/n, you change it.”
His words are final, you can see it. It doesn’t falter, his stare so intense you have trouble finding your own words. 
“Okay,” you give in, ready to drop the subject and run away from his demeanour, but he wasn’t having it. 
“How dare you try to question my rank in this deal Y/n,” the way he says your first name makes you realise it's not just anger there, you hurt him. “But I guess you don’t respect me a much as you respect him.”
He scoffs, shaking his head as he walks back into his office, slamming the door behind him, leaving you alone on the other side. You hadn’t realised you were holding your breath until your lungs filled with air again shakily. No, you were not going to leave it like this. 
For the second time that day you don’t knock, walking in to find his back to you as he stood in the middle of the office, Shoulders rising and falling with each angry breath he took. You close the door behind you, staring at him until he turns around. 
“Get out of my office,” he’s not joking, the tone of voice he was using with you, you had never heard aimed at you before. You force your bottom lip to not quiver.
“I’m sorry,” you say, trying to keep your voice steady. He lets out a breath of laughter, humorlessly, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation. 
“Fine. Now leave.”
In his current state, the stink on you was only fuelling the fire. It filled his office, his safe space and he wanted it out even if it meant kicking you out. 
“Yoongi,” he curses the way you look up at him with watering eyes. “Why are you so mad at me?”
“That smell is off putting,” it’s spit out before he can reign it in. Part of you expected that to be the answer but you still look surprised.
“But this is irrational…” you shake your head, you want to create boundaries not be exiled. “I know Eric isn’t part of your pack but neither are most of the people you work with every day and you’ve never behaved like this before. Not with me.”
His jaw clenches at the name, the way you said it sounded too familiar for a guy you only met a week ago. Humans were more like animals than they thought, if you met your mate time was irrelevant, he really thought that was you for them, he didn’t want to believe anything else. 
“I can’t stand their stench either kitten,” he bites back, sounding spiteful, tail flickering behind him dangerously. “Why do you think I have a private office that no one’s allowed into?”
You reel back, hating the way he was speaking to you. You both bickered and argued all the time, but this felt different, this felt real. 
“And right now, you’re filling it with that disgusting smell,” you could almost see smoke coming out of his head, like a volcano about to erupt. “So please, Y/n, leave.”
You stare at him silently for a second, unable to hide the hurt on your face anymore. He doesn’t budge, he can’t, and you can see it your efforts to get through to him would be fruitless. When you close the door behind you, walking out without another word, he can feel the guilt drop like a pill inside of him, regretting letting his jealousy speak for him.
You can hear the tap running in the kitchen when you walk into your apartment after work. Sighing with emotional exhaustion as you take off your shoes, you really wanted to be alone.
“Hey!” His voice shouldn’t aggravate you, but it pulls at a chord. “How was work?”
You try to smile, but it feels awful. 
“Busy as always,” you don’t elaborate, and Eric is smart enough to know not to push. 
“Well I made you one last dinner… without burning the kitchen down this time,” he chuckles sheepishly. 
“You really didn’t have to,” you didn’t have the stomach for food today. 
“I just wanted to thank you Y/n,” he says sincerely. “For letting me stay with you this week, I honestly can’t thank you enough.”
If you told any of your friends you let the guy that took you on one date stay with you when he accidentally burned down his apartment, you’re pretty sure they’d kill you before giving you the lecture of ‘you don’t know him’, ‘he could be a serial killer’. But you knew Eric through a mutual friend, and if they vouched for him, you’d believe it. Plus you couldn’t lie that his presence was useful in your badly executed plan of getting over your bosses or at least not letting them find out you were in love with them. 
“Sure you’re not going to let me take you out on another date to make up for it?” he tries cheekily, reminding you of his presence when you space out thinking about them. 
“I thought dinner was your way of making up for it,” you say with a look on your face that roughly translated to, nice try.
“No, that's my way of saying thank you,” he chuckles but again doesn’t push it.
As much as you wanted to be distracted from your current dilemma, you wouldn’t use anyone that way. It wasn’t fair, you were hung up on them, and you didn’t believe that stupid saying of getting under someone else. Honestly, you didn’t know what you were doing, you wanted something impossible. Did you honestly believe that a little distance was going to erase the past few years of getting to know them, of falling in love with them? How did you think you could have it both ways? Love them from afar, but still keep them close. You really were a mess. 
His scent was stronger on you this morning. It was all they could think about through the meeting all seven of them had to attend, but they didn’t know that was because you hugged Eric goodbye this morning when he finally left with his stuff. More from the relief of getting your space back than anything else. The time-old saying was wrong, what they didn’t know would definitely kill them. 
Did he spend the night? Was that why the once lingering smell on you was now punching them in the face with its pungence? Jin glances briefly at the way Yoongi was tapping his pen irritatedly on the surface of the desk. Hobi looking distraught beside him, blinking back the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
The maknaes were fairing no better. Jimin's stare was as cold as ice, threatening to freeze anyone cold that dared to approach him… perhaps it was quite fitting for an arctic fox. Jin could hear the way Jungkook’s leg was restless under the desk, the strength of the smell too much for the bunny as his face contorted into pain. And Taehyung… well the tiger looked at you with such an intensity, the oldest CEO didn’t know how you were ignoring it, surely you felt the burn of his gaze.
Jin wondered how Namjoon was leading the meeting with such faux ease. If Jin didn’t know him any better, he would have believed it, but he noticed the subtle clench of his jaw, the way he couldn’t help glancing at you at any given moment, the heartbreak and questions in his gaze every time it fell on you. 
“We’ve only just managed to reach our target for this year’s quarterly,” Namjoon states, trying not to wince at the way the smell was giving him a headache. “I want project leaders to reassess their team's work for any pitfalls or areas for improvement.” 
You frown in concern when he pauses, pinching the bridge of his nose between his eyes with his fingers, closing them in pain before resuming the meeting. You want to question it, stay late when he finishes his speech, thanking everyone for their hard work and letting your colleagues leave the room. You want to stay, you want to check he's okay, but you remind yourself of what you’re trying to achieve and force yourself out without looking back at any of them. That didn’t mean you didn’t feel each of their stares as you left. 
You can see Jungkook and Jimin wandering around the office floor, trying to look busy, striking up conversations with almost every employee, asking them mundane questions about different projects, all while sneaking not so subtle glances your way. You’d laugh under any other circumstance. You hadn’t said a word to them since that night, and now because of the lack of communication the atmosphere festered into something awkward. Each party was afraid to approach the other, you were scared to talk to them, they had a way of bringing down your defences, and you knew it would take them seconds to break down the wall of boundaries you were building. 
The pair notice you ignoring their presence, making their way through the sea of employees, inching closer and closer to you as naturally as they can fake. 
“Hyung I don’t think this is going to work,” Jungkook mutters under his breath for only the arctic fox to hear.
“Why won’t it work?” Jimin challenges in a hushed breath. “We’re the CEO’s of the company checking on our employees, Angel is also an employee, this is the perfect way to start a conversation again.”
“But hyung-”
“I miss her,” Jimin looks earnestly at the bunny, his heart in his eyes for him to see. “I can’t take this anymore.”
Jungkook bites his lips nervously as Jimin talks to Seulgi, the next desk they would approach would be yours. You seemed engrossed in your work but he kept his eye on you, scared you would figure out what they were doing and run away before they had the chance to talk to you. 
You, however, were so wrapped up in your own thoughts you didn’t question their motives. That is until they make their way to your desk.
“Angel,” Jimin greets you as if nothing happened. 
Your eyes widen as you stare at him in shock, realising this was their plan the whole time. 
“Jimin,” you breathe back, and he has to stop himself pouncing on you. Fuck, he missed you? Why was that word not enough to explain the pain of being away from you for so long?
“Hi Noona,” Jungkook saves his hyung by sacrificing himself, the older CEO malfunctioning after hearing his name. “W-we w-wanted to see how everyone was doing.”
He chews at his lips, cursing himself for stuttering, but thankfully Jimin finds his tongue.
“The hyungs sent us,” he lies hastily, “to check on everyone, I mean…”
You just nod in reply, feeling a little on the spot with both their gazes burning into you like you would fade from sight. You kind of wish you could fade from sight.
“How are you?” Jimin asks softly, the words sounding light but holding more weight than anyone would ever know. 
“I-I’m okay,” you smile but it doesn’t reach your eyes. “Just falling behind.”
Your hands grip onto the arm rests of your chair, as if you were physically trying to hold yourself back from leaping into their arms. You missed them, you missed them so much you didn’t care about that stupid night and the stupid boundaries. You just wanted to go back to normal, but you couldn’t, you had feeling for them, it was wrong. 
“Anything we can help with?” Jungkook asks, hoping you’d let them. All he wanted to do was bury his nose in your hair, after scenting you so hard that you only smelled of him and the pack. His fingers fidget, entangling around each other, can’t he at least touch your hair? Or your cheek, or something. 
“I kind of need to not be distracted,” you say sheepishly, wincing at your own harsh words though you tried to say them as politely as you could. Both boys balk at the suggestion before Jimin composes himself.
“Understood.” His features turn to stone as he drags the bunny away, leaving you to your work. Your heart breaks more and more with each step they take, knowing you can’t take it back. You hurt them. 
You thought their office was empty, it's why you didn’t knock. Knowing their schedules, knowing they were all at different meetings, you didn’t think twice to enter with the files you had to drop off, coming to an abrupt halt when you’re met with his red rimmed eyes. You both stare at each other, your face one of complete shock, while his was evident of his tears. 
It's the sob that wrecks through his whole body that has you spring into action, flinging the files onto whoevers desk you didn't care, as you almost ran over to him, engulfing him in your arms nearly knocking you both over. If anything he cries harder, tail wrapping around your waist too as he holds onto you like a lifeline. You squeeze him hard, his head burying itself into your neck, trying to find the scent of you that wasn’t tainted with that awful stench. 
You don’t smell like you. You don’t smell like them. He won’t pretend it's pure instinct as he rubs his head against you, sniffling as he moves your head under his chin, rubbing his scent glands on you roughly. It’s all over you, that fucking smell was everywhere. 
“Tae,” you call his name airily, his ministrations already having an effect on you, but you had been so starved of him for so long. 
He doesn’t respond, taking your arm in his hand, pressing it against his cheek, hiding his eyes from you when he decides it isn’t enough. You feel yourself stop breathing when he uses his lips instead, soft delicate kisses on the length of your arm, making his way slowly to your neck. You’re frozen, not wanting him to stop for a second, your skin searing at every touch he gives. 
That is until you try to make sense of his behaviour. He was a hybrid, who saw you as part of his pack, and you denied them your presence for over a week. This was just his instincts on overdrive and you had to get yourself together before he went too far and regretted it. Or before you misread the signals and got your heart broken again. 
“Tae, stop,” it sounds feeble even to your own ears, but you grab his wrists and push him back. His eyes meet yours, no tears left but his pupils are fully blown like he was on catnip. 
“No,” his voice is hoarse but stubborn. “I don’t want to.”
It takes all your strength to hold him back when he tries to lean into you again, his heart aching at the way you're keeping him away when he so desperately needs you. 
“Please,” he begs, whimpering, feeling like if you denied him it would crush him beyond repair. “Please flower.”
You breathe out slowly, long and calm, trying to keep yourself together, to not give in. It wasn’t fair, every brick you painstakingly spent building against them came down like a house of cards. Tears prickle the corner of your own eyes. This wasn’t fair. 
He manages to rest his head on your shoulder, his nose sniffing against your neck. It’s still there, muted but he could still smell it. You hear the low hum of a growl in his throat.
“Taehyung, talk to me,” you say gently, needing him to verbalise his actions so you didn’t misread them. 
“You’re not supposed to smell like him!” he cries, closing his eyes in pain. “You’re supposed to smell like us, you’re mine.”
Your heart leaps before it falls. 
“Tae,” your bottom lip trembles, doesn’t he realise how cruel this was. “You can’t say shit like that.”
He hears you sniff, moving away enough to see the look of sadness on your face. But he doesn’t understand why it’s there. Did you really not feel the same way? No, that wasn’t it, the way you looked up at him, begging him to stop but they were soft on him, so loving. 
“Why?” he dares to ask, it comes out a whisper, his heart pounding as he inspects you. You close your eyes, wanting to laugh at how pathetic you are. It causes tears to fall out of the corner of your eyes. You let go of his wrists to wipe them away, ready to answer him, ready to confess and leave him forever to save yourself from more pain. 
A creak startles you both, the door opening to reveal the others making their way back from their respective meetings, all of them staring at the scene, completely taken back. 
“Baby girl?” Namjoon is the first to step towards you both, his eyes flickering between you both. The concern on his face turns to one of anger, aimed at the tiger but you had already decided it was towards you. 
You can’t deal with this. Turning away you try to make your leave, only to be held back, Taheyung grabbing your hand in his and making you face him. 
“Why?’ he repeats, more adamantly. He needed to know, because whether he was right or wrong would change everything. 
“Taehyung,” Namjoon growls warningly. His eyes fixed on your hands together. 
“This is between me and flower,” he glares at his hyung, the threat in his eyes clear for the wolf not to get involved. He turns back to you, the others watching intently. “Why?”
You feel defeat ripple through your chest, your face scrunching as you sniff back the sob working its way out. 
“Because my stupid human brain is going to misunderstand,” you voice is heavy with tears, a few slipping out against your wishes. “Your actions mean something different for humans than they do for hybrids.”
He almost scoffs, this was what you always did. They were so obvious with their affection and love and you rationalised it wrong every time.
“What does it mean for humans, flower?” he almost sounds like he’s mocking you, a new stern and unforgiving look on his face as he moves closer to you. 
“Taehyung stop,” you beg, not wanting to go through with this, to feel embarrassed about your feelings when he figured it out. “Please.”
“Taehyung maybe we shou-”
The glare he sends Hoseok’s way has the lion biting his tongue. They were all panicked, what if the tiger’s actions cost you them forever?
“What do kisses mean for humans?” he asks again, louder, more demanding, not letting the subject drop. “Or better yet… What do you think they mean for hybrids?”
“You kissed her?” Both of you ignore Namjoon’s outburst, Taehyung not caring if he misunderstood. 
The corners of your lips pull down so far, your eyes welling ready for overspill as you implore him silently to let you go. Why was he being so cruel? You had never known him to be like this before, what did he want from you? You breathe shakily, feeling lost until it hits you, he’s figured it out. He knows. 
Your worst fears come to surface and you pray it wasn’t true, that he wasn’t about to out your feelings to the others. He watches you struggle for words, deciding to take pity on you.
“Because last time I checked,” he breathes, his heart pounding in his chest hard as he takes a leap of faith. “They mean the same thing for us as they mean for you.”
It takes you a second, he can see the crease between your brows before your whole face goes slack with disbelief. He can see the puzzle pieces finally fit into place through your eyes, unable to help himself, smiling when he can feel your pulse match his. 
He takes another step closer, the distance between you only a hair width. Final drops of tears fall out of your eyes as he watches your pupils dilate when he leans in. You don’t pull away when his lips press against yours, you pull him closer.
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katnisspeetaprim · 8 months
Text
Pluto
Jungkook/CatHybrid!Reader
summary: When Jungkook gets an idea, it's almost impossible to talk him out of it. His large home has never felt more empty than it did now, so adopting a hybrid seemed like a good idea. Part 1 of ??
Warnings: idol!au, female reader, hybrid!reader, mentions of violence, injury mention, hybrids being second class citizens.
Word Count: 1293 M.list
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Jungkook was lonely, plain and simple. He wished he had a better reason for doing this... But no.
He had friends and he most definitely wasn’t a recluse, but there were some nights his home felt a little too quiet. Even with Bam scattering around.
So he now found himself stood in front of a small hybrid shelter, one all the way across the city from his home. He’d found the place online. Pluto hybrid homes was the name of the shelter and it had good reviews, though standing in front of the building now, it looked like a strong gust of wind could blow it down.
Jungkook had taken precaution and had hidden his face and tattoo’s to the best of his ability, not wanting to take the chance of being recognised and spawning a whole host of scandalous news story’s. Even when he had told the other boys his plans, they all looked at him like he’d gone insane.
‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ Jin spoke, frowning deeply. ‘Hybrid’s are conscious beings, they may’s well be human!’ The oldest man had always been somewhat against the buying and selling of hybrids. Most of them were just as if not more so capable as humans, they just happened to be born with ears and a tail, which automatically made them second class citizens.
‘I agree with hyung...’ Jimin spoke up. Jungkook looked at him, betrayed. He’d hoped his fellow maknae’s would have been on his side. ‘A hybrid won’t be like Bam ... You know that right?’ Jungkook scoffed and stood up, going to his kitchen to get some water and try to calm down.
‘I’m not an idiot. I’ve done research.’ He mumbled, chugging back the cool liquid before turning round and leaning against the counter, crossing his arms.
‘It’s not just the work you’d have to put in.’ Namjoon began to speak but paused, unsure of how to put his thoughts into words.
‘Just say it hyung.’ Jungkook rolled his eyes in annoyance, done with the lecture. Namjoon gave him a hard look.
‘You know the implications of owning a hybrid, what a lot of people use them for. Jungkook uncrossed his arms and his face fell, blood draining and becoming pale, as six pairs of eyes snapped towards him. He suddenly felt small under their gaze.
‘T-that’s not what I’m doing!’ Jungkook stuttered out, frantically looking around the room to his hyungs, only hoping that they wouldn’t misunderstand his intentions. Did they really think he was capable of doing such an awful thing? ‘Please believe me!’ Namjoon could see that his brother was getting upset, so he decided to step in and put him at ease.
‘We know you’d never do that Kook, but you know the media will spin thing if- no when, they find out.’
Jungkook knew how unkind the media could be, but he was prepared to defend himself if it came down to it. He’d already had a quiet word with his manager about his plans, so statements had already been pre-prepared, just in case.
So that’s what lead Jungkook to his current whereabouts. It was getting late, almost closing time which meant that hardly anyone was around. He could see the receptionist through the glass inside, working on her computer. With a deep breath, he took a nervous step inside, suddenly surrounded by the warm air of the building.
‘Well hello there! Welcome to Pluto hybrid homes!’ The cheery voice of the receptionist greeted him enthusiastically. She was an older woman so hopefully she wouldn’t recognise him if he took his hood down. ‘You’re just in time. We’re not long off closing! So, how can I help?’
‘I’d like to adopt.’ Jungkook spoke with meaning, hoping that if he seemed confident he’d look like he knew what he was doing, but the woman saw right through him as she chuckled softly.
‘You’ve never doe anything like this before, have you?’ Damn it. He’d been caught.
‘Don’t worry. We’re all here to help. Start by filling out these forms.’ Jungkook blushed at being called out, but took the form and sat down in the waiting area.
Name: Jeon Jungkook
(He’d thought about using a fake name, but knew it would only cause problems down the line)
D.O.B – YOU MUST BE OVER THE AGE OF 18 TO ADOPT A HYBRID:1/09/97
Any known medical issues?: No
Do you have any pets? (Not hybrids): Dog, Doberman
Do you have any preferences when it comes to hybrids? Such as species and gender?
Jungkook paused at the last question. He hadn’t really thought about the different breeds of hybrid, even though he probably should have.
Even though hybrids were basically human, they still had the mannerisms and the temperament of their animal counter parts, as well as the ears and tail. Since he already had Bam, he would nee a breed that could get on well with another dog, so he went safe and wrote down cat or dog for breed, and quickly scribbled down ‘any’ for gender.
He stood and handed the forms back to the woman who took them with a smile.
‘Great! Everything looks in order. If you follow me, I’ll show you the enclosure for the cats and dogs. We keep them together.’  Now that he was going deeper into the building, he felt more comfortable taking down his hood and mask. He didn’t want to appear stand off—ish to any potential hybrids after all. If the woman recognised him, she didn’t make it obvious, just flashed him a warm smile.
‘Since it’s getting late, the hybrids will probably be wining down for the day, not as much energy.’ He nodded in understanding as she pushed open the door.
Jungkook was met with a large room, occupied with around 10 hybrids. It seemed to be some kind of recreation room, with TV, games and books fort the hybrids to keep themselves entertained.
‘Let me know if any of these guys catch your attention.’
Most of the hybrids pay the two of them no mind, clearly used to people coming in and out throughout the day. He scanned over the room, taking in each hybrid as they went about their night, when he suddenly locked eyes with a hybrid in the corner of the room.
The cat hybrid was curled up on a bean bag with a book in her hands. She quickly looked away when she was caught staring at the stranger.
‘What’s her name? In the corner over there.’ The woman smiled softly.
‘That’s Y/N. She’s been with us a few months now.’ As Jungkook looked over the hybrid more, he noticed a few bandages and bruises protruding from her clothing. He frowned.
‘Is she hurt?’ He couldn’t help but worry and the woman beside him sighed sadly.
‘She just stumbled in here one night. She was all beat up and bloody, so we had to help her. She won’t tell us what happened and no owners ever came forwards, so we took her in.’ Jungkook thought over this information for a moment. Unfortunately, violence against hybrids had been on the rise in recent years.
‘Can I meet her?’ The older woman looked surprised by the request, but soon smiled brightly.
‘Of course! But I’ll warn you that she’s a little shy, so she may not want to talk too much. It’s put a few other people off adopting her unfortunately.’
‘I understand. I’d still like to meet her.’ Jungkook was adamant now. Once his mind was set on something, there was no changing it.
‘Ok! I’ll get the two of you set up in a private room to talk! Give me a few moments to talk her through it!’
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arduouslove · 1 year
Text
Loving You isn't Hard to Learn 06
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genres: hybrid, romance, found family, slow burn(ish) series rating: mature (mentions of/references to death and abuse. eventual smut) chapter warnings (may contain spoilers): mentions of death. accusations of drugging/roofie-ing. descriptions of injury to the face. the reader character cooks meat; if you don't eat meat, please think of it as them just cooking it for other people. relationship(s): ot7 x female reader
In the middle of what many would call nowhere, a sign glows bright yellow. Old, unmaintained, and on its last legs, the letter e flickers for a few seconds before going dark. H aven’s Door Motel, it now reads.
prev | chapter six (12.0k) | next
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The floor is cold when you wake up on it, though not as cold as it could be, so you must've been sleeping on the floor for at least a couple hours. As you sit up, you try to get on your knees, but find your legs tangled up in half of a throw blanket. You grumble, touching one hand to the side of your head, where you had to have laid directly on the floor rather than the throw pillow you can see pushed under the coffee table. Okay, you're definitely not telling Hoseok your head kind of hurts. He's already enough of a worrywart. Speaking of...
Looking up at the couch, you see Hoseok's sleeping face smushed against the cushion, his hair ruffled all over and his mouth slightly open. Upon closer inspection, a small wet spot of drool has grown on the couch cushion directly under his mouth. You grimace at that but quickly shake the split second of disgust away. It's just saliva; it'll wash out just fine.
You untangle yourself from the blanket, and when you stand up, you drape it over Hoseok's sleeping form as quietly as you can. Yawning, you head to the kitchen, first filling your kettle and turning it on, then moving to the other side of the counter and unplugging your phone from the wall. As the screen flicks on, you see a missed call from Lee Minhyuk from only a few minutes ago, and a text from him that followed soon after.
It seems I forgot to leave one last thing to you. I found it in our storage this morning. I'll be in my office all day if you'd like to come and pick it up. Otherwise, please let me know by phone call.
As professional as always, this guy. Glancing over at the microwave, you take note that it's only 8:56AM, which isn't that early for someone like him, but still. Lee Minhyuk is punctual, you'll give him that. Well, you suppose if you head out soon, you could get back before ten, depending on what it is Minhyuk forgot to give you. Some paperwork, maybe. He did say before that Mr. Jung had liquidated everything he owned other than the motel... You wonder what it could be.
Not wanting to wake your two house guests up, you stop the kettle before it can beep to signal that it's boiled and pour the hot water over a tea bag in a to-go mug to let it steep while you get changed. You sneak on tip-toes back to your room, and you move your hand as deftly as possible on your bedroom doorknob, focusing on your feet as you step in and close the door behind you. Bee-lining to your dresser, you tug off your pyjamas and pull on some fresh clothes as quietly as you can.
But when you turn around, Jimin is sitting up in your bed and looking at you with a frown.
"Oh my gosh!" You jump and pat a hand over your heart, taking a sharp breath in at the sudden sight of him. He barely reacts, just raising one of his eyebrows at you, his bottom half still snug under the comforter. "How long were you just sitting there?"
Eyes still half closed, Jimin says, "Long enough."
"Oh. Well..." Embarrassment trickles along your veins knowing he watched you trying to quietly sneak in. He looks too tired and uninterested to care about the fact that you changed right in front of him, though. There goes your confidence in your own sex appeal. "...Did you sleep okay?"
"It was fine." His words come out short and curt, and you can't quite pinpoint why, but you get a weird feeling as you try not to narrow your eyes. He flips the covers off himself and swings his legs over the edge of the bed, using his hands at his sides to push himself off and stand. His eyes dart around your room. "Where are my clothes?"
You blink. "Oh. They're in a hamper in the bathroom. I was planning on putting them through the wash and then making something to eat." Of course, stopping by Lee Minhyuk's office threw a tiny wrench in those plans, but still, you weren't expecting this from Jimin as soon as he woke up. Whatever this is.
Just as he tries to exit your bedroom, you move to stand between him and the door, your hand held up. Jimin stops himself before either of you touch, and he frowns slightly when you go, "Whoa, hold on. What's the hurry?"
"I have to go back."
"Go back?" you echo, confusion tinged in your voice, but Jimin doesn't bother. He gently puts a hand on your wrist and moves you out of the way, which you let him do all too easily in your stupor. Go back? To the streets? Blinking and shaking yourself out of it, you turn to follow him into the bathroom, where you watch him find his dirty clothes at the top of the pile in the hamper. "What do you mean?"
Jimin doesn't look at you as he focuses on unbuttoning his pyjama top. "She's looking for me."
Sputtering, you completely miss the fact that Jimin is taking off his clothes right in front of you. "Rayoung?"
Even though he doesn't answer you, the determined look in his eyes tells you you're right. He slips on his old clothes and pushes past you again.
"She is?" You struggle to follow both him and his words, stepping into the main living space after him. "How do you know--"
Jimin whips around, and you almost bump into him, but your feet screech to a halt directly in front of him. He glares at you with those piercing brown eyes. "She loves me," he says.
Your mouth opens and closes like those dogs in kids movies they'd feed peanut butter to so it'd look like they were talking. You can't say what you think, no, that would be too harsh. You can't just say outright that someone who loves him wouldn't leave him to live miserably like he did. But, what can you say? You don't want him to go back to where he was, even if what he thinks of Rayoung is true... not when you have something within likeness of a solution so close to falling in your grasp. You were planning on going to the motel this evening with Hoseok -- and, ideally, Jimin -- to scope out the building better and finally figure out what the hell you're doing.
"Jimin..." You hold yourself back from reaching out to him, knowing that your touch might be the last thing he wants. "At least eat something..."
"I'm not hungry," he tells you, and with the conviction he puts behind the words, you almost believe him.
"C'mon, at least a bite--"
"No!"
Jimin's sudden volume startles you, and your eyes go wide as he pushes both hands against you, causing you both to stumble back a step. You stare at your feet for half a second before looking back up at him, a breath of a laugh tainted with disbelief puffing past your lips. "What--"
"Don't come any closer!" He wraps his arms around his chest and scrunches his eyes shut. "I don't know what was in that fucking tea, but you can't keep me here." His back turns to you. "Rayoung was right. I can't trust anyone."
Completely thrown off, you straighten up slowly, his words settling in your brain. "...Excuse me?"
Jimin says no more, simply standing there in the foyer with his back turned, shielding himself from... you.
Roused from his deep slumber, Hoseok appears next to you. His hair is tousled and pressed flat against the side of his head that he slept on, but the sight isn't as endearing as it would be if you weren't so baffled by what Jimin just said. Taking one step in front of you, Hoseok puts a hand on your arm before you've even realized you went to get closer to Jimin, one hand up and pointed at him.
"You--" Hoseok's firm grip on your arm stops you from getting far, and as he pulls you partway behind him and your shoulder bumps into his back, you lower your voice to a whisper. "You think I drugged you?"
With his head down low, Jimin still refuses to respond. His entire body trembles, fear coursing through him like rapids under his skin. Even you can see it.
But something fogs over your rationality.
"Are you serious right now? I didn't-- I would never--" You try to take a deep breath, but it gets stuck in your throat and only serves to fuel this ugly feeling inside your chest. "You're delusional."
Hoseok hushes out your name, a warning of sorts, or maybe something closer to a plea. You don't hear it past the ringing in your ears.
"And it's not because of anything in my fucking tea," you continue. "No, you know why you're delusional?"
Hesitantly, Jimin turns around half-way, his frowning profile causing that awful roiling in you to flare up.
"Because even though you've been living on the streets for months, starved enough to root through restaurant trash bins, abandoned by the very person who supposedly loves you--" Something flashes across Jimin's eyes, but you have no grasp of what it is. "--you still think she's coming back for you."
No one says anything for a second -- too long, and Hoseok's hand slides down your arm and gently wraps around your wrist. You tug it out of his grasp with a sharp inhale. "So let's just go," you say, walking to where you keep your car keys. The jingle-jangle as you pick up your keys is the only sound in the apartment aside from your footsteps. "I'll take you right now. Near Antonio's, right? She left you around there and that's where you think she'll go looking for you?"
Hoseok softly calls your name again, but you don't hear him. Jimin only follows you with angry eyes.
"I was on my way out anyway," you continue. With your hand already on the doorknob, you slip on your shoes. "So yeah, I have no problem with dropping you off on your own with nowhere to go." You pull the door towards you and step out, eyes still on your feet. "Where you have no sure way of getting food."
Jimin doesn't look at you as he puts on his shoes.
"Where Hybrid Services already know your face--"
Your words choke to a stop when you look down the hall towards the elevators. That damned fluorescent yellow armband you had no business caring about a couple days ago -- two of them -- appear in your sight just a few metres away, directly in front of the apartment-next-door's open entrance, where your neighbour to the right, Anne-Marie, is talking to the two officers.
Without uttering another sound, you push Jimin back inside your apartment as quickly and overtly as you can. Unfortunately, this means you achieve that by shoving your hand in Jimin's face, but your head isn't exactly in the right place to think about hiding-someone-away etiquette.
"Wha--?! Stop--!"
"Shh!" You make frantic eye contact with Hoseok while Jimin glares daggers at you. At this point, you know you can't just go back inside yourself; both the officers and your neighbour have probably seen you already. You keep your voice as quiet as you can, hoping the boys can still hear you with their weird hybrid powers. "Both of you, not a peep. Got it?"
You don't wait for either of them to answer before you grab the doorknob and swing the door shut in their faces. As soon as you look back down the hall, both officers, a man and a woman, and Anne-Marie are looking at you.
"Good morning," you greet with a slight bow, completely unsure of what to do or say next.
Would asking some sort of question be suspicious? Or would trying to walk by and ignoring them be even worse?
Either way, you have to get to the elevator...
Before you have to decide, (or maybe after you already should've, considering the awkward silence,) Anne-Marie waves you over with a slight frown. "Leaving so early today?"
"Ah..." You nod at her with a strained smile as you walk up to her and the officers, making sure to smile and nod at them too in that weird, you're not really part of this conversation but you're standing here so I'll try to include you sort of way. "Yes, I have some errands to run this morning."
Anne-Marie doesn't question you, thank goodness, and just gestures towards the officers. "Well you should hear them out before you go," she says. "Apparently there's a feral hybrid on the loose."
"Feral hybrid?"
You don't have to fake the initial look of concern that appears on your face, but the way you deepen your frown at the flyer one of the officers hands you is definitely for show.
"Yes," he confirms, face stiff and almost bored from repeating the words so many times to all the residents in the building already. "He ran away from a hybrid clinic in the city and was last spotted in this neighbourhood."
Anne-Marie nods along as he speaks and shakes her head when he points out the area the hybrid was spotted last night on a small map included in the flyer. "So close to home..." she mutters, which he ignores.
Continuing after him, the female officer speaks up. "We're doing rounds to make sure everyone living in the area is aware of the risks of a feral hybrid, as well as inform everyone of the proper procedure."
"Which is...?"
"Do not approach," the man tells you as your eyes finally focus in on the two pictures of the feral hybrid, one from the front and another of his profile. In both photos, he's smiling, eyes bright. "It's dangerous for regular citizens to attempt to capture feral hybrids. Leave it to the professionals and call Hybrid Services upon encounter."
He doesn't look so dangerous.
His smile is wide and almost boyish, like someone told him he was posing for a photo op rather than the strange hybrid-version of a mug shot it actually is. He holds up his name placard like it's an award he's proud of. "V," it reads, then a bunch of numbers underneath. His animal ears are perked straight up, and you can't tell what kind of ears they are in the grainy black-and-white pictures, not to mention how small they look compared to Hoseok's. Still, the deepness of his smile, the happiness in his eyes and the scrunch of his nose -- you're not scared at all.
You don't say any of that, though.
"I'll keep an eye out, thank you," you say with a polite smile. "What kind of hybrid is he?"
The two share a look, the female officer grimacing before she turns back to you. "That's unfortunately classified information."
"What? Why? Wouldn't it help us be safer and more prepared if we know what he looks like?" You turn to make eye contact with Anne-Marie, who drinks in your words and nods with a slight frown towards the officers, a finger propped concernedly on her chin.
The man sighs. "As much as I agree with you, these pictures are the only images any of us have to go off of. Even Hybrid Services hasn't been informed of his sub-species. It's private information belonging to the clinic, and legally, we don't need to have it to apprehend the hybrid."
"I see..."
After thanking them again and giving your due goodbyes, you do your best not to turn around and watch the officers as you wait for the elevator. You step into the elevator, and as your finger finds the button for the ground floor, you peak down the hall and let out a breath of relief. The officers seem to have skipped your door because you already spoke to them.
It would probably be suspicious to re-enter your apartment so soon while they're still patrolling your floor, you think. The last thing you need right now is Hybrid Services finding a reason to look into you.
And, maybe, you need a minute to yourself. Just to breathe.
You hadn't meant to snap at Jimin like that, it just... So much doesn't make sense to you. You've barely had Hoseok around for a few days, but you feel as though your friendship is something already. Maybe not something to be proud of, exactly, but it's something.
Jimin... you've known him for even less time, if you could even call that "knowing" him at all. And yet, you felt this strange surge of protectiveness over him.
You really hope that isn't part of the saviour thing Hoseok spoke of before...
Sighing into the empty elevator, you try not to think about the fact that it probably is, and instead focus on what is right in front of you. Your car keys are still in your hand, the shape imprinted into your palm from how hard your nerves had made you grip them between your fingers while you talked to the officers.
You take the coward's route and run away.
Lee Minhyuk's office building isn't that far in terms of distance, but the traffic around it is pure hell. It gives you much too much time alone with only your thoughts. You try to drown them out with whatever is on the radio, but even that can't seem to calm the disquiet within you. The more you think about the things you said, the more regret builds in your gut. What right did you have to say those things to Jimin? Sure, you think it's a fool's dream to believe this Rayoung girl is out there searching for him, but to purposefully shut him down like that? To crush that dream just because you got offended by emotions he was completely valid in feeling? Just because he's been scarred by humans before and you happen to be one? It's not his fault that he thought you might've drugged him, it's a product of--
"Ah, you're here."
Blinking, you realize that your body went on autopilot and walked you up to Lee Minhyuk's office without you knowing, and you watch his back as he goes to sit at his desk.
"Yeah I... got your text," you say dazedly, unsure of anything else you could possibly say in the moment.
"Well, it's good that you came. I wouldn't want you to go without this." Minhyuk holds his hand out, and you step closer to his desk to let him drop whatever the thing he forgot is in your awaiting palm.
A single key stares up at you, attached by a small ring to a simple metal tag.
Silver Meadows Columbarium, it reads.
"Oh."
Moving the key to your fingers, you flip over the tag and read lot C 258 on the back. You'd never heard of Silver Meadows Columbarium before. Never needed to...
"I believe Mr Jung set up his..." Minhyuk pauses as he mulls over his word choice. "...accommodations before he passed."
You can't help but ask, "Just him? No family, or...?"
Your words trail off, both of you knowing that Mr Jung left you as his sole beneficiary. If he had family, he didn't leave them anything. Not even the location of his remains.
Minhyuk shakes his head, and you frown.
"He prepared for his own death all by himself?"
Your concern is met with a small, understanding smile on Minhyuk's face. "Well, he may have done the paperwork himself, but he wasn't alone. He had you."
"But I--" You hardly knew Mr Jung.
"He brought you up more than once," Minhyuk says, making you close your mouth and blink stupidly at him. At your silence, he continues. "He came to my office a few times to sign the papers and whatnot, and he mentioned you every time. Always said you're the only one who laughs at his jokes."
"They're funny!"
Your own response jars you a bit. The last time you said that, you thought Mr Jung was alive.
Minhyuk only smiles again, softly. "He was happy you thought so."
"Did he say that?"
"Not in so many words, but I it wasn't hard to tell. Don't get too caught up in the fact that Jung didn't have blood relatives he wanted to include in his will. Evidently--" He gestures to you. "--he had a family of sorts."
Except that you weren't it. You couldn't be, right?
A seedling plants itself in the forefront of your mind.
A seedling named Hoseok.
That's must be it -- Mr Jung wanted to leave his estate to Hoseok, but couldn't figure out how to, legally. Hybrids probably can't even have bank accounts, much less accept inheritance, which is why Mr Jung defaulted to you. He trusted you to help Hoseok start up Heaven's Door as the legal owner of the land it's built on.
In his letter, he'd said it's that it's you, whatever that means.
You look down at the key in your hand, taking a deep breath in. It might not be the key to Heaven's Door Motel, but you clutch it in your fingers, and as you step out of Lee Minhyuk's office, you make a silent promise to Mr Jung.
You'll get Heaven's Door up and running.
And you'll do a damn good job of it too.
=
When you return to your apartment, you have a brown paper bag of fresh pastries in your hand and a heavy something in your chest. You tried to figure out what you want to say to the two hybrids in your place on your way home, but it's hard. You feel like all you keep doing is messing up. Now, you even ran off without a word after seeing the Hybrid Services officers, which had to have freaked Hoseok out.
You grimace as you twist the doorknob. Less than an hour ago, you'd resolved yourself to running Heaven's Door with everything you've got, but are you really the right person for the job?
When you enter, you go to call out for Hoseok, but you freeze with your mouth partially open. The guys stand ramrod straight in front of you, Hoseok with a slight smile and Jimin with a hesitant clench of his jaw, arms crossed. You gape at them for a couple seconds until Hoseok frowns at Jimin and jabs his elbow into his side.
"Ow! What the--"
"Don't you have something to say?" Hoseok prompts through his teeth, a harsh grit to the question.
Jimin huffs, his arms shifting in front of his chest, hands holding his own arms a little tighter. He meets your eyes. "I'm--"
"Wait." You hold up a hand to stop him, not missing the confusion that flashes across Hoseok's face. Something like panic reflects in Jimin's eyes when he sneaks a glance at Hoseok, but you don't acknowledge it. "Let's talk." With the hand still holding the paper bag, you gesture towards the couch. "Have a seat. Both of you."
Jimin doesn't move until Hoseok does, following silently while Hoseok watches you out of the corner of his eye as he sits down.
You set the pastries on the kitchen table before making your way to them, stopping in front of the couch and chewing over your thoughts. Jimin regards you with a half-frown, brows knitted in apparent distrust. You can't really blame him.
If your ears were better, you might've heard the slight gasp Hoseok let out when you dropped to your knees, bent down, and pressed your forehead to your hands, which are now flat on the floor. You bow in front of them, let out a breath, and raise your head once you gather your thoughts, putting your hands respectfully on your lap. "I'm sorry," you say. "I fucked up."
Hoseok's ears twitch, dipping, and he scoots forward on the cushion, about to say something, but you don't let him.
"Jimin, I want to apologize for this morning. I had no right to react the way I did." You look at Jimin, but you can't read his face. "It's not your fault if humans have hurt you enough to make you think we're all the same. People can be... horrible. I wish things were different, but... I want you to know that I will never intentionally hurt you--" Your eyes meet Hoseok's. "--either of you. I'm not going to punish you. I'm not going to force or coerce you into anything you don't want to do. I don't want to be the kind of human you're afraid of."
Hoseok shakes his head. "I'm not afraid--"
"I can't promise I won't fuck up again," you say, wincing as you realize you've spoken over him, but when he doesn't speak up again, you continue. "I honestly feel like a walking disaster with how many times I've fucked up, and it's only been a couple days. Sometimes I speak before I think, and I really need to work on that. I'm sorry."
You don't know when you started staring into your lap, but you let out a long breath, and only after that do you slowly look up at the two hybrids. They both wear blank expressions, and it makes you want to shrink back in on yourself. "I just--"
"I lied," Jimin blurts out, and you face him, eyes slightly widening.
"...Lied? About what?"
Sighing, Jimin casts a glance at Hoseok, who nods determinedly. He fidgets with his hands, looking at them rather than meeting your eyes. "I guess, technically, Rayoung isn't looking for me right now," he mumbles. "But she will. As soon as she breaks up with her stupid tool boyfriend."
"Oh." You blink at Jimin. "Well, um... You're welcome to stay with us. Until then, I mean."
Jimin's lips form into a contemplative pout, but he says nothing.
You scratch the back of your neck. Is there a good way to approach this? "We could, um... let her know somehow? That you're with us."
You eye Hoseok, who's hopefully in the same boat for you to be saying we. He wasn't exactly Jimin's biggest fan last night, weird possessiveness over pyjama sets aside. Now, though, you see that even he can tell this Rayoung girl is bad news. Still, Jimin's ties to her seem to run deep, and you know it's nowhere near simple to tell someone a person they love isn't as great as they thought.
Jimin takes a deep breath in, his shoulders scrunching up as his body tenses and relaxes. "Can I... think about it?"
"Of course!" You perk up at the idea of him even considering your offer after the way you snapped this morning, and you point at the brown paper bag on the table. "Do you want to have breakfast while you think?"
While Jimin marks a straight line to the kitchen, Hoseok holds his hand out for you before you even move to get up. You take it, and he uses his other hand to gently grasp your elbow and lift you onto your feet. He doesn't let go right away, instead holding both your hands and whispering, "You shouldn't have gone out alone." He rubs his thumbs over your knuckles. "You're still concussed."
The proximity combined with his concern for you causes heat to stir in your chest. It's uncomfortable and foreign, so you try to force it down, smiling and letting out a chuckle that screams casual. You hope. "I can hold my own. Besides, I think I'm all better; right as rain up here." You pull one of your hands out of his tender hold and curl it into a fist, knocking on your cranium like a door. Except, the impact makes your brain swish around in your skull like gargled fluoride. "Whoa-- shit."
You sway, tipping the direction you knocked your own head into. Hoseok keeps you standing, but he doesn't like it. "You just proved my point."
"Listen--"
"From now on, no going off on your own," he says, and from his tone, there's no point in a rebuttal.
You roll your eyes, and, whoa, does the room always spin when you do that? Still, even wooziness can't stopper your sarcasm. "Protective much?"
"Kind of my job description."
"I thought I was your bodyguard," you tease, and he chuckles, his seriousness evaporating with the sound.
"As if--"
"You're dumb."
You and Hoseok both turn towards the kitchen, where Jimin stands next to the table with a half eaten pastry in his mouth. Ignoring the glare he's under from Hoseok, which you don't notice, he speaks around the pastry. "Only a dumb person would go out on their own in your condition."
Even though you're pretty sure he should be on the same side as Jimin on this, Hoseok sneers at him, the slightest of growls rumbling in his throat.
Jimin holds up a hand, mockingly. "Easy, pup."
"I'm older than you, punk!"
You can't help it; you laugh. Jimin is all over the place, accusing you of atrocities one second and talking to you and Hoseok like you're long-time friends the next. The two hybrids cease their bickering at the sound of your laughter.
"Okay, okay." You take a breath to stop the giggles threatening to break past your lips. "New temporary house rule: no one should go off on their own unless they have to."
Jimin raises a brow. "No one?"
"Ideally." You nod. "Which brings me to the next thing I wanted to talk about. When the Hybrid Services officers were here before, they were telling everyone there's a feral hybrid in the area. The entire neighbourhood is going to be on alert-- I don't know how kindly they'll take to finding any unregistered or, uh, stray hybrids if they run into either of you alone."
Nodding along, Hoseok rubs his chin with his thumb. "Makes sense."
"They know what the hybrid looks like, but we don't know how much they actually care about the picture. Who knows if they'd just nab any male hybrid off the street," you say. "It's probably best to play it safe; at least while we're still in the neighbourhood."
"What do you mean, 'still in the neighbourhood'?" Jimin asks, curious.
You smack your own forehead and ignore the way Hoseok immediately brings his hands up like you're going to knock yourself over any second now. "Right, uh... We're kind of..." Bringing up a hand, you gesture between yourself and Hoseok. "...prospective business owners? Is that--? No, we're, uh...starting up a motel? But, like, for hybrids?"
Hoseok is decidedly unhelpful with explaining what Heaven's Door is meant to be, staying silent and just making a face as you botch it.
"Anyway, it might be safer if we head out there sooner rather than later if the neighbourhood is getting paranoid over stray hybrids. It's outside of the city, and Hybrid Services doesn't do patrols out there. I was thinking to move once I'd figured more shit out, but I didn't think the whole 'feral hybrid' thing would happen today, and I definitely didn't foresee meeting you." Not that anything that's happened to you in the last few days could've been foreseen, either. You smile at Jimin. "But hey, at least you were a pleasant surprise."
"Didn't I threaten to kill you?."
You shrug. "I'm still here, aren't I?"
"And your guard dog attacked me."
"After you attacked her!" Hoseok argues.
Clicking his tongue, Jimin gives his head a nod. "Point taken."
"Anyhow," you continue on. "While you think about what you wanna do, I'd like you to come with us. Of course, you're free to refuse. I still have two-ish weeks of rent paid for this place, so you could stay here, but..." You share a look with Hoseok, then return your eyes to Jimin.
"...I'd be alone?" he finishes for you.
"I guess I'd just feel better if you're with us."
Jimin seems to absorb your words, but he stays silent for a few seconds. He tosses the last bite of the pastry into his mouth, chewing quietly and brushing his hands together to get rid of the leftover crumbs. He takes a breath. "I guess I sort of owe you for the food and the bed I slept in last night... The least I can do is make you feel better."
Your cheeks make way for a beaming smile.
"Just while I think about it."
You school yourself. "Right! Right," you say, clearing your throat of any enthusiasm that might've gotten clogged in there. "Just while you're thinking about it. Nothing's set in stone."
=
Either Hoseok calls shotgun outside of your hearing range, or Jimin silently sits in the backseat of your car out of some unfounded sense of regularity. He doesn't speak a word as you drive, just watches the world pass by through the side window. You can't really see him in the rear view mirror, and most of your focus is on the road, but there are a few moments where you catch his fingers scratching at his arms before he flexes his hands and stops. You're reminded of the red, bumpy skin you saw on his arms. Now, it's covered by his shirt and jacket, both of which you convinced him to let you wash before you all left your apartment.
"I don't think this is the right way..." Hoseok says, squinting at the street signs as you drive out of the inner city.
"Yeah, uh." You'd looked up the address to Silver Meadows before you left, and it's practically on the other side of the city as Heaven's Door. "There's somewhere I wanted to go first. You know how I left this morning?"
Hoseok nods.
"Well, it wasn't just to throw a tantrum, if that's what you were thinking."
"I thought maybe you were trying to get those Hybrid Services officers to think you were going somewhere, so they'd think no one was in your apartment," Hoseok says, making your eyebrows rise on your forehead.
"Wow, you're pretty intuitive, aren't you?" Your eyes dart to the backseat, but you can't see Jimin's face since he's sitting right behind you. "Were you guys able to hear that whole conversation in the hallway?"
Jimin scoffs, something sarcastic in the simple sound, while Hoseok nods again. "It's weird how even they don't know the species of the feral hybrid," he says. "Without that information, they'd go after any stray hybrid they encounter -- not that they weren't doing that already."
"But they might treat any stray like they're feral and dangerous," you finish the thought process for him, and when you meet his eyes, he sports a grim expression. You roll your shoulders back, sighing. "It's a good enough reason to stay on our toes, but hopefully we won't run into any trouble outside of my neighbourhood..."
And, hopefully, the feral hybrid doesn't get found by anyone less than civil. The cheerful face of that hybrid flashes across your mind, and you wonder about his circumstances. What makes a hybrid go feral, anyway? What made him run away from the hybrid clinic? How much of the information the officers gave you is a stretching of the truth?
"So where did you go?" Hoseok asks when you make another unfamiliar turn.
"Lee Minhyuk texted me -- he was Mr Jung's estate lawyer." You add that in to give Jimin some context, but you're not sure if he's even listening. "He forgot to give me the key for Mr Jung's niche."
Hoseok's brows furrow as he echoes you. "Niche?"
"It's what they call the individual sections in a columbarium," you explain, not too informed yourself, but you know enough. You take Hoseok's silence as him not filling the gaps quite yet. "Mr Jung's urn is being kept in one. Lot C, niche 258, at Silver Meadows Columbarium."
"Oh." Hoseok doesn't exactly slump in his seat, but you see the way his shoulders sag just the slightest. "He was cremated?"
You nod, eyes still on the road. "Yeah... I hadn't thought about it much. I'd assumed his family was dealing with all the..." Breathing out a long exhale through your nose, you try to think of the right words. (And come up with nothing.) "...well, that kind of stuff. But apparently I'm the only one with the key."
"Mr Jung never talked about any family..." Hoseok mumbles.
A road sign ahead reads Silver Meadows, and you slow down to turn into the lot.
"You're not bringing flowers?"
You turn your head at Jimin's sudden question, surprised since he was quiet the whole drive. He meets your eyes.
"You're visiting a grave, and you didn't bring flowers?" he asks, arms crossed.
"Oh." You look downward. "I hadn't thought about that..."
Jimin doesn't say anything, and you've run out of words yourself. Does it make sense to go back to buy some? You think about Mr Jung, and far above wanting to go get flowers for him now, you wish you could've brought him one back then. When he could see it.
You find a parking spot and switch off the engine.
"It's okay," Hoseok says before any of you exit the car. He's not looking at you, though. "We can bring flowers next time."
You watch him step out of the car, and as he does, he pulls his collar out of his pocket and fastens it around his neck, clasping the metal ends together before he shuts the car door behind him. Before you'd left the apartment, you told him to bring it, but you forgot about it during the drive.
"Oh, right. Jimin." You twist in your seat and reach into your bag, finding the red velvet choker you'd stuffed in there earlier. You've never really worn it since someone gave it to you however long ago, and you just hastily grabbed it from your room before you all left the apartment. You hold it out for him. "Wear this for now. It's not technically a collar, but... no one will be looking too closely. I hope."
Jimin frowns, but he takes the choker. "Can't I just stay in the car?"
You don't want to pressure him, but you can't help the grimace that crosses your face. "I feel safer together..."
"Fine," he huffs, bringing his hands up to fasten the choker. "You're lucky this is cute."
By the time you both catch up to Hoseok, he's already found the directions to lot C. He walks silently, and when he finds niche 258, you and Jimin hang a bit back, giving him a moment.
This section of the columbarium is indoors, and the walls and niches seem to be white marble, or made to look like white marble. Whichever it is, it feels a bit... cold.
Mr Jung's niche is empty, save for the black urn inside. Jimin was probably right -- some flowers would at least bring some life to the space.
Hoseok stands in front of the niche, which is embedded in the wall at around the height of his chest. His arms hang limp at his sides. You step up beside him, and you take his hand, gently, bringing it up so you can push the key into his palm.
"I think he meant to give this to you." And everything else, you want to say, but you hold your tongue. That's a lot to put on someone all at once.
You would know.
Hoseok holds his hand in front of him, staring at the key. He looks up at you and meets your eyes with his watery ones. "You think so?"
"Of course I do." You put a hand on Hoseok's shoulder, your thumb rubbing back and forth over his coat. "You said Mr Jung never talked about any family, right? That's because you were his family."
Sniffling, Hoseok bites his bottom lip to stop it from trembling as he breaks eye contact and returns to looking at Mr Jung's niche. "I... I wish he wasn't this far away. He made it so much harder to visit."
"Hey..." Gently, you use your hand on his shoulder to turn Hoseok toward you, then put both your hands on his arms and give him a reassuring squeeze. A tear threatens to roll down his cheek, but you reach up at thumb it away. "I know you probably knew Mr Jung better than I did, but... something in me thinks he'd want to say..." You turn your head to look at the niche, smile, and shake your head. "He's not in there." Bringing a hand up, you softly poke the pad of your pointer finger between Hoseok's eyebrows. "He's in here." You move to his chest and poke at where his heart should be. "And here." Finally, you take both his hands, a bit awkward with the one still holding the key, and hold them between you. "And that's what matters, right?"
Hoseok nods, but his face crumples up, and he tucks it into your neck. You wrap your arms around him just as his embrace you tight. Over his shoulder, you glance at Jimin, who quickly looks away, but you know he was watching. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, suddenly very interested in his worn out shoes.
"But we can still visit, right?" Hoseok mumbles into your skin, bringing your attention back to him.
"Of course. And next time, we'll bring flowers."
=
As you slide into one of the parking spots in front of Heaven's Door, it occurs to you that this is the first time you're seeing it in the daylight. All of its mediocre glory. The outer walls are a faded yellow, with supporting pillars and railings on the second floor landing which were once white. The doors to the individual rooms are a nice dark green that matches the roofing, but you have to admit they've seen better days. Still, you can feel the potential the old building blooms in your chest.
"Not too bad, hey?" you say to Jimin, who's leaning forward between the driver and passenger seats to peer out the windshield at the place.
He sniffs. "It's no Plaza Hotel."
"You've been?"
"No, I've seen Home Alone 2."
Chuckling, you pull your car key out of the ignition and exit the car. You put your hands on your hips, inhaling a big, exaggerated breath as you take in the motel. Hoseok walks over and stands next to you, arms crossed.
"Well," you say. "It might be a bit of a fixer-upper, but that's nothing a couple of fixer-uppers like us can't handle, right?" You bump your shoulder into Hoseok, who smiles at you and bumps back with his hip. You stumble a bit, but Jimin's hand on your back stops you from swaying too hard. When you take your eyes off your feet, he meets your eyes with a plain expression.
"You guys are disgustingly optimistic."
A hand on his shoulder, you grin. "You just named one of my best traits!"
=
The move into Heaven's Door is by no means smooth, but you can't say it's not something you expected.
The first thing you notice is the broken window in the convenience store under the motel lobby, which you'd missed that first night in the dark. Hoseok sheepishly admits that he'd had to break in to eat the snack food inside. You don't push it -- that void of time between losing Mr Jung and meeting you isn't a topic you think is worth diving into if it's going to bring Hoseok back to that time. The window won't be cheap, but if you don't put a custom decal on it like the shattered one on the ground, it might not be as expensive.
Secondly, Hoseok leads you and Jimin to the master room you remember Mr Jung mentioning in his letter, and you realize you'd only seen the motel from one side. Behind the lobby, which has a lot of that same forest green as the doors outside, Hoseok shows you the half of the building you had no idea about before. An entire branch extends behind the lobby, about the same length as the front, but instead of the entrances to each room facing outside like the ones you saw before, there are doors mirroring each other on both sides of a hallway. Immediately to the right is the master room, but at the end of the hallway seems to be a common area with couches and coffee tables, and two walls lined with a counter and cabinets. Hoseok tells you it's the same downstairs, except the end of the hall is a kitchen and dining area. It reminds you of a college dorm.
If anyone stayed in the rooms you saw out front, you don't think they'd even notice this half of the building.
The master room is smaller than your apartment, but it has its own half-kitchen and en suite bathroom with a pretty nice shower. Hoseok explains to you that most of Mr Jung's time and focus went into building and upgrading the interior of Heaven's Door, which is why it has its less than shiny exterior.
You can tell Hoseok was staying in the master room up until you... kidnapped(?) him.
"This is probably the nicest room in the motel, huh?" Jimin posits, walking inside with his hands in his pants pockets. He's wearing the clothes he met you in, now washed but no less worn down.
You nod. "Probably. We're a bit far from the city, so it would make sense for the owner to just live here."
"Dibs." Jimin flops down face first into the bed.
Hoseok crosses his arms. "Yah."
As you fail to hide your laughter behind your hand, Jimin squirms in the bed, twisting himself so he lies on his back. He stretches his arms and legs out like a sea star. "Smells too much like dog here, though."
While Hoseok sneers, you say, "Probably because this is Hoseok's room. You and I can take the rooms next door and across the hall."
"Why would I wanna be next door to you?" Jimin closes his eyes and interlocks is fingers behind his head, fully relaxing into the bed.
You let out an affronted scoff. Your hand goes up to your chest, right over your heart even though Jimin can't see it. "Um, my amazing company and charming personality?"
"Pass."
As you and Jimin go through this back-and-forth, you miss the way Hoseok's face fell when you said you'd be in a different room. His disheartened expression goes unnoticed, and when you stand up, proclaiming there's a lot of work to be done, he smiles at you with all the sunshine he can muster.
You're none the wiser.
=
Aside from the horrors (the mere idea of business management, the building maintenance, the absolute atrocity that is dealing with plumbing, the phone calls, etc, etc,) at least it's fun to print keys. Hoseok apparently never figured the system out because Mr Jung took care of getting it installed, but half an hour on the computer, and you manage to print a key for both yourself and Jimin. He chooses the room across from the master, while you're right next to it.
Hoseok insists on him and Jimin carrying all the food you'd brought inside, but to appease your need to take part, he lets you carry one item for each trip from your car to the common kitchen area. (You find this a little patronizing, but it is admittedly nice to be doted on by them both, even if Jimin's still pretending he doesn't care.)
((He takes a bag you were reaching for, despite already having both his hands full.))
Much of your things are still back at your apartment, but you have time to bring them over. The first day is mostly about getting Hoseok and Jimin out of dodge -- you can worry about your own problems later. You spend the afternoon sitting in the lobby, poring over the paperwork left there and googling motel business 4 dummies like your life depends on it. Hoseok, who'd been cleaning up his room and taking care of the broken glass outside (and inside, unfortunately) the convenience store, forces you to take a break in the form of helping him make dinner.
During dinner, unprompted, Jimin tells you he's still thinking.
It hasn't slipped by you, of course, that Jimin's stay with you is conditional and, lest you hope otherwise, temporary.
But when he says that, staring into his food rather than looking at you, a tiny smile makes it's way onto your face,
"Take all the time you need."
=
On the third night, you wake up to soft knocks on your door. You have no expectations because your brain is in the process of trying to dissect the dream you'd just been ripped out of, but seeing Hoseok on the other side of your door still isn't something you were prepared for. He's wearing the new, new pyjamas you'd bought for him in a sparse shopping trip you'd all gone on the second day, despite him saying he didn't care that much about Jimin wearing the other ones.
You go to say his name, but he just brings a finger up to his lips in a silent shush, and with his other hand, he gently takes your hand and leads you down the hall into the master room.
Nothing in your body wants to fight it, so you let him bring you right up to the bed. He practically pushes you onto it, but the way he pulls the warm comforter over you defies any ill intent. When he settles in on the other side of the bed, his breath puffs against your cheek. He hasn't really scented you since the day you met Jimin; you've been near each other almost constantly since, so there was really no reason to.
You remember him telling you it's about separation, but also not. He never did tell you more about it.
In your sleep-ridden haze, you shift to your side. Hoseok is on his side too, rather close, and his eyes are closed, but you know he can't have fallen asleep so fast. Gently, you bring a hand to the back of his head, careful, as always, not to touch his dingo ears. You pull him closer ever so slowly. If he resists at all, you'll let go.
Hoseok lets out a shaking breath. He wraps both arms around you and tugs you closer, his face pressing itself against your neck. Eyes still closed, he squeezes you close. It's warm.
That's right, you think.
He’s a strong little pup, but he hates being alone.
How did you manage to forget that?
=
If Jimin has anything to say about the fact that you've started to retire to the master room at the end of the day, he doesn't vocalize it. Hoseok never brings it up, either. He's hardly touchy during the daytime, keeping his hands to himself, especially in front of Jimin. Yet, when night comes, he pulls you to bed like he's done it his entire life and keeps his arms around you until you fall asleep and wake up to find him all tangled up in the sheets.
Jimin either hasn't noticed, or, as you suspect, he doesn't care.
He'll often say he's "still thinking about it". You're not quite sure how to respond to it every time, so now you just smile and nod, sometimes reminding him that the choice is still his.
One night, you find him in the common area, sitting on a couch and watching a muted cartoon on the tv you'd connected to your Netflix account the day before. The subtitles aren't even on, and when he turns at the sound of your footsteps, you see the red of his eyes, and the shining tracks on his cheeks.
There's still a lot you don't know about Jimin.
Rayoung. Her boyfriend. His red contacts and why he wore them.
"It's freezing in here," is all he says as he wipes his cheeks with his sleeve. "You should get the heating system checked."
You sit down next to him, neither of you looking at each other. "Feels normal to me."
The cartoon isn't one you recognize, but it looks like it could be fun if you knew what anyone was saying.
For a while, you and Jimin say nothing. He sits next to you, and you next to him. At some point, he shifts just the slightest bit closer so your shoulders brush against each other. That's as far as he goes for your body heat.
"Do you get cold easily?" you eventually whisper.
"Mhmm."
"Is that a snake thing?"
Jimin shakes his head, slowly, the late hour finally getting to him. "Some reptile hybrids are like that, some aren't. There aren't many of us, so people don't really know why. At least... that's what he told me."
He. You decide not to dig into that. Jimin will tell you if he wants to.
"Your scales... the skin around them seemed irritated."
"...Itchy..." Jimin's head falls to your shoulder. He doesn't snuggle in, but he rests there. "I had a cream for it..."
"We should buy some," you say.
"It's expensive... You shouldn't buy it if I'm going to leave soon..."
Though his words cause a muted ache in your heart, you don't stew on it. That was always the case.
"You can take it with you."
Jimin doesn't respond, asleep on your shoulder.
You're not sure how much time passes, but later, you hear light, shuffling footsteps behind you, and you turn your head towards the sound, careful not to jostle the slumbering Jimin on your shoulder. Hoseok stands there, eyes half closed but on you nonetheless.
"You left," he mumbles, swaying slightly like he's struggling to stay both awake and upright.
You give him a small smile, lit only by the tv that's still playing that cartoon you don't know the name of. "I didn't go very far."
"Come back to bed?"
Gently, you lift a hand and gesture at Jimin. "Can we bring him back to his, first?"
=
When you're sent the invoice for the window repair, you realize (not for the first time) this won't be easy.
You didn't think it'd be a walk in the park, of course not, but you've never really had to worry about the cost of running a business before. Now, you look at the numbers, and you just can't wrap your head around how it'll all work. Mr Jung left you a considerable amount, yes, but... will it be enough? You can't imagine the motel is in any high level of traffic area for travellers. There are quite a few campsites around in the surrounding forest, but that's about it. How many customers would it take monthly to support the motel? How much has to or even can be sacrificed before any income is made?
You've already spent so much on keeping you, Hoseok, and Jimin alive and warm for the past week. It's normal, you suppose, but you've never supported two dependants before, and the fact that you're currently unemployed doesn't settle the heavy feeling in your chest at all. You're draining your savings while not making any money in the meantime.
A safe haven for hybrids...
...who can't pay rent.
Maybe Mr Jung was older and more senile than you thought.
You shake your head and rub your hands over your face, resting your elbows on the desk in front of you. First, you gotta apologize to Mr Jung for disrespecting the dead. You might be cynical, but he had a dream. A really good and nice dream. Secondly, you scold yourself for thinking what you did about hybrids. Of course they can't pay rent. They were born into a system that actively discourages their financial (and pretty much every other kind of) autonomy. They can't pay for anything because of humans.
Still, you don't know how long you can keep running Heaven's Door on your inheritance alone. You haven't even opened yet -- how much will it cost to run for a month? Three? A year?
"Do the numbers change if you sigh hard enough?"
You turn in your swivel chair to glare at Jimin, who's sitting in the chair next to you with one leg folded up to his chest, foot propped up on the seat. He doesn't return your gaze, enraptured by the match-three game he's playing on your phone, which he's been going at rather consistently for the past two days. You don't really have a job for him right now, and aside from the tv, he doesn't have much to take up his time. You'd offered to grab the contents of your bookshelf back at home for him, but he'd casually refused, telling you he'd take a look next time you make the trip, but not to go out of your way.
"Maybe they will," you taunt back, which goes just as ignored as your glare. "I better sigh harder to test it out."
You tilt your head, looking at your phone in his hand. "Should I get you guys phones...?" you ask, mostly to yourself.
Jimin's eyes glance up, and he finally acknowledges you. He doesn't need to say it. He does anyway.
"I'm still thinking."
Curling your lips in, you nod, turning back to the computer and hovering your hands over the mouse and keyboard even though you have no plans on what to do with them. "Right. Right..."
Thankfully, Hoseok chooses that awkward moment to walk into the lobby. "You should take a break," he says. "How is your head feeling?"
"It's fine, doc." You roll your eyes, smiling. "Just as fine as I said it was yesterday."
"Have you been taking your meds?"
You shake your head. "The doctor said they're for headaches. They're just painkillers -- the few times my head has hurt, the pain went away by the time I remembered I could take them."
Jimin lowers your phone and gives you a look you can't quite decipher. It's not positive; you know that at least. "You're still getting headaches?"
"Only itty-bitty ones," you try to placate them.
"How long has it been since you fell?"
You almost forgot you lied to Jimin about how you got your concussion. By the looks of Hoseok's guilty expression, though, you're not sure if you regret it. You don't want him to feel responsible, but talking about it -- whether or not Jimin knows -- still seems to remind him of what he did. Where you put the blame doesn't matter to him. He still thinks it's his fault.
"Uhh... a little over a week?" you answer, keeping a careful eye on Hoseok. "Maybe eight or nine days."
Jimin frowns. "That can't be good, right?"
"The doctor said to go back to the hospital if the symptoms last over two weeks." Concern laced in his features, Hoseok crosses his arms.
You nod along. "I'll put the date on my calendar, okay? I'm sure I'll be fine by then."
"You better not play it down when the time comes," Hoseok warns.
"Yes sir," you joke.
Hoseok takes in a sharp breath, shoulders scrunching up for half a second before he forces them to relax. A small huff of a laugh escapes Jimin's nose, and you look at him in confusion, but his eyes are on Hoseok, something playful and teasing in them. Jimin mouths something to Hoseok, which you can't read.
Hoseok grumbles and tightens the arms crossed in front of him. "Shut up."
"No fair," you whine. "You guys already have inside jokes?"
Jimin just laughs harder while Hoseok gives him a death glare and says, "It doesn't count as an inside joke if I don't find it funny."
"Don't worry," Jimin teases through a smirk. "I find it funny enough for the both of us!"
You can't help but smile at the ever-growing amity between the two hybrids, which is admittedly playful in the biting way, but it still makes you happy that they're somewhat getting along.
=
"We should celebrate," you tell the boys one day.
"Celebrate what?" Jimin questions, hands stuffed in his coat pocket and shoulders scrunched up to his ears.
You'd gone around the back of the motel and found a paved, patio-like area, complete with five wooden picnic tables, propane patio heaters, and an old-looking but (probably) functional barbecue, but Jimin isn't exactly a fan of the cool breeze flowing through the air.
You lift the lid of the barbecue, examining the charred grates of the grill. "Well, I dunno, but it'd be a shame not to use this before it gets too cold out."
"Too late," Jimin mumbles. His lips are hidden behind the front of his coat, which he's ducked half his face into.
Hoseok ignores Jimin, nodding at your idea. "A barbecue night would be nice."
"How are you on the grill?" you ask him.
"I'm better at prepping."
You chuckle. "So basically, not good?"
"Not good," he echoes with a smile.
After sharing some giggles, you look at the barbecue again. "I'm sure I could figure this out."
"I'm going back inside," Jimin tells you both, already walking away.
"C'mon!" you call after him. "It'll be fun!"
=
Although you're in a different store now, near the edge of the city closer to the motel, the pet/hybrid aisle hosts a pretty similar collection to the store near your apartment. You pull another plain, black collar off the hook on the shelf, which matches the one currently sitting around Hoseok's neck.
He's not paying attention at all, as far as you know, instead hunched over the pushbar of the shopping cart he insisted on pushing for you, poring over the grocery list you'd written on a memo pad for tonight's "celebration".
In your mind, you've started calling it your "new friends party :D", emoticon included, but you haven't worded that out loud to either of the boys. Hoseok would surely laugh at the childishness of the name, even if he'd politely try to stifle it, and you know Jimin would only remind you that his relationship to you and Hoseok is temporary.
Mood killer, you think to Jimin, although it's the hypothetical version of him.
The real Jimin is looking at the array of collars on the shelf like you asked him to, and you step up next to him.
"What do you think?"
Jimin frowns, deep in thought. "They're all ugly."
Okay, maybe not that deep.
"Ouch," you chuckle, fingers toying with the black silk in your hand. "You don't have to wear one all the time -- just while we're in public spaces like this."
Grumbling, Jimin stuffs both his hands in his coat pockets. "In public... that's when I wanna look good."
"Okay, okay." You pat a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we can find one you like online, or something."
"Doesn't this one work?" Jimin points at his neck, fingers ghosting over the soft velvet of your red choker.
You tilt your head. "I guess... Probably."
The tags for collars have to be bought and customized separately anyway. There's no reason why you wouldn't be able to put Jimin's on your choker, though attaching the tag might not be as simple as the store-bought collars. Manageable, though, you're sure.
"If you're done being picky, we should get going. The frozen meat will be rotten by the time we get to the car," Hoseok says, making Jimin roll his eyes and stick his tongue out at him.
You clap your hands together. "Ooh! We should get ice cream!"
When you bring all the groceries to the counter, you notice that Jimin keeps his head down, avoiding the eyes of the person ringing everything up. This isn't new -- Jimin seems to not like making eye contact with anyone but you or Hoseok.
He'd tossed the red contacts after one of them had an intimate meet and greet with your bedroom floor, but you can tell he doesn't like being without them. It's awful, you think, how long he wore those fake red eyes just because his owner... what, enjoyed the idea of owning a deadly hybrid?
The... exoticism?
You shiver.
On the cusp of winter time, with Jimin in a couple layers, you wouldn't even know he's a hybrid if you weren't paying attention. As far as you know, his only hybrid-defining trait is his scales, and the only ones you can see right now are on his neck. They'd easily go unnoticed to the everyday passerby.
"Your total is--"
The cashier's voice startles you, and all you can do is shake your head when they ask if you have their points reward card.
Before heading back to the motel, you make a quick stop at your apartment, telling the boys that you're just grabbing some more of your clothes and that they can wait in the car. You do grab some clothes, but you also pick up a few of your favourite books. Hopefully the boys will be able to find some entertainment in them. Recently, you discovered a recreation room in the motel, complete with a couple of exercise machines and a pool table. With how preoccupied you are with all this motel business stuff, though, you haven't had the time to play a round of pool or even think about exercising. Maybe the boys have been in there, but it seems like Hoseok is almost always somewhere around you, still weary of your condition.
It's sort of fair, you think. Dizzy spells still hit you sometimes.
Jimin, too, often sticks around somewhere nearby. Maybe it's because he likes scrolling through your phone and doesn't want to just take it and leave whatever room you're in.
Which brings you to the real reason you stopped by your apartment. You walk up to the mailboxes and pull out your key, smiling when you open your locker and find the packages you were expecting.
It's a bit of a pricey expense -- at least, for how you used to budget your life before it flipped on its head -- but you think it's worth the money. A simple phone for each of the boys, a new family plan to save on the phone bills, and a specialty reptilian hybrid eczema cream. You hope it's the right one for Jimin. You haven't seen his irritated skin since that shower due to the chilly weather, but you still catch him scratching his arms over his clothes from time to time.
You're sure if you told Jimin you wanted to buy the cream for him, he would've refused. The phone, too.
"Took you long enough," Jimin says when you dip back into the driver's seat of your car.
You chuckle. "I missed you too, Mochi."
He huffs at the nickname and crosses his arms, then turns his head to stare out the window. You don't see his faint smile.
=
"It's freezing," Jimin complains through chattering teeth, hands stuffed in his coat pockets and shoulders scrunched up practically to his ears.
You can't hold back a little laugh. "I told you, you could either help me out here with the grill, help Hoseok with prepping everything inside, or run the raw food from the kitchen to out here." Raising an eyebrow at him, you gesture towards your gloved hands and the food you're flipping on the grill with metal tongs. It is chilly out, especially since the sun set, but you're wrapped up in your own jacket, and the fire from the grill is keeping your cheeks warm. It probably feels colder to Jimin, though. "You wanna trade with me?"
He gives you a flat look. "You're kidding."
"Thought so. You wanna trade with Hoseok?"
Cringing, Jimin shakes his head. "I hate touching raw meat."
"Well, there's our answer then," you say. "Was that the last of it?"
He nods, another shiver rippling through him. It's almost endearing how red his cheeks are turning, but you know he really can't stand the cold.
"Okay, go inside and warm up. I should be done cooking everything in ten or fifteen minutes. Bring this plate in--" You point at a foil-wrapped plate of the food you've already cooked. "I can bring the rest inside once I'm finished."
Jimin's eyes widen slightly. "I thought you wanted to eat out here?" He looks at one of the picnic tables.
"Nah." You shrug. "It's way too cold for me, and the food will cool down too fast."
Elated by this news, Jimin smiles and bounces on his feet when he grabs the plate and runs it inside.
"And help Hoseok clean up the kitchen!" you yell out right before the door shuts behind him.
Truthfully, you did want to eat outside for the celebration, but it's more important to you that Jimin is comfortable and happy. After all, he's one of your new friends, and that's the whole point of tonight. You smile at the thought, excited to gift the boys their new cell phones after dinner.
Flipping some of the last pieces of meat on the grill, you hum to yourself. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a hand reach for the plate you have set to the side for the cooked food. It tentatively grabs one of the slices of meat and pulls it off the plate, which you let out a chuckle at.
"What, you couldn't wait a couple more minute--"
You choke to a stop, though, when you look up and see neither Hoseok nor Jimin.
Dark eyes meet yours for less than a moment before swiftly turning downward. The man stumbles back a step, but he freezes in almost the same way you do. Except, instead of his jaw dropping open like yours does, he pauses mid-chew, the frisked meat still in between his teeth.
That's not what makes your breath hitch, though.
Even under the blackened sky, you can see the bruises.
A dark, deep purple sits boldly under is left eye, the surrounding skin a sickening blend of yellow and green that winds up all the way to his brow. His chin sports another bruise in a similar state, like the blows had been a couple days ago and the skin has gone through only the first stages of healing. Although his face is grimy with sweat and dirt, you can see crusted blood just at his hairline before his black hair hides anything else. You can tell his lip was completely busted at some point, marred with dark, dried blood that's been split over and over again and given no chance to heal.
Even his stance looks like he's in pain. Like he's trying to make himself look smaller.
You swallow the shock down, the words not coming out. "I..."
He snaps out of it at the sound of your voice. Both of his hands shoot up, palms flat and facing you. "Sorry-- I'm sorry," he mumbles and winces, like it hurts to speak. His voice is scratchy and rasping.
He backs up further while you try to find something to say, something to do, but before you can do anything, he runs off the patio and disappears into the treeline, a clear limp in his movement.
"Wait!" you call out, but he's gone.
Maybe it was the injuries that made you want to go after him. Maybe it was the way he held himself, like he didn't want to be in his own body. Maybe it was the way his voice trembled, or the fact that he definitely wasn't wearing enough for the temperature outside.
Maybe it was all that combined, but most of all, it was the pointed black ears you saw on top of his head.
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prev | chapter six (12.0k) | next
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thefaithfulwriter1 · 5 months
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𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐒 (𝟎𝟑. 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 & 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆)
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𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐒 | ❝ You both are the missing pieces to my puzzle of happiness. ❞
Summary - She could set the world on fire if she wanted to. She didn't though but if it came to it, she'd make sure the fire didn't touch her five lovers, her pack. She would do anything for them. But recently she felt like something was missing. She knew something was missing she could feel it in her heart. It often caused her to get stuck in her thoughts and drifting off staring out the window. It soon changes though when she finds two hybrids a tiger, and a black panther. Soon she takes them in and trains them with the help of her lovers. The six of you soon teach them how to be two powerful hybrids. As she trains them, she and her five lovers find themselves growing attached to the two hybrids, Taehyung and Jungkook. She soon finds that it was Taehyung and Jungkook who were missing. They were her two missing pieces. The missing pieces that she was looking for.
Pairing - BTS x Fem!Reader or OT7 x Fem!Reader
Alternative Universe - Mafia, Hybrid
Warnings - Fluff, Angst, Semi Smut, Language, Violence, Death, Gore, Weapons, Past Abuse, Poly. Relationship, MxM, MxF, May Add More If Needed
Characters - 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐘/𝐧 𝐋/𝐧 - 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 - 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚, 𝐘𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢 - 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 - 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 - 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐚, 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧 - 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 - 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 - 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚, 𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐤𝐣𝐢𝐧 - 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 -𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 - 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐚, 𝐓𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠 - 𝐓𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝, 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐤 - 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝, 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐨𝐤 - 𝐖𝐨𝐥𝐟 𝐇𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝, 𝐉𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧- 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐡 𝐇𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝 -
"Now Jungkook, go ahead and step back for me please," you demanded softly but firmly of Jungkook. Jungkook had looked back at you with uncertainty. But was soon bumped by Hobi with his head. Hobi was trying to tell him to listen to you.
Looking at the wolf Jungkook nodded and got off of James and went back to sitting on the sofa. James was on his front and was wiggling trying to get to Taehyung. You had soon stopped him by kicking him in the face. A muffled groan left him through the tape over his mouth.
"Now you can stop that James. You're not getting Taehyung nor Jungkook. And you know that," you sighed, crossing you arms. You were so tired of this raid altogether. It was quiet as you looked down at James who was now shaking as you glared at him. You were thinking of what you were going to do with him. Your thoughts were soon cut off by the clearing of a throat. Turning to the noise you were met with Namjoon holding papers. He had a grim look on his face.
"The safe was there and the code was right. There was a load of money... but these papers were there too. There are others that are trying to overtake your territory." Namjoon answered as he handed you the papers. Taking them from him you started going over them. Sighing, you handed them to Yoongi so he could take a look. Yoongi soon looked at them and sighed and shook his head, and he soon gave them to Jin. Shaking your head, you lifted your hands to your head rubbing your fingers over your temples. As you closed your eyes for a second.
Thinking.
So much was happening and you were beginning to get mad no... you were getting pissed. Shaking your head and turning you looked over to Taehyung. He was curling into himself as he watched you scared but curious. Licking my lips you reached your hand out to him and he took it slowly and hesitantly. Pulling him up to stand you kept a hold of his hand and walked him over to Jungkook. Taehyung instantly went to him as he slowly released your hand. Both of them instantly took a hold of each other.
Looking at the two you smiled then turned your attention back on James. He was still faced down on the ground. An animalistic growl escaped you as you stalked over to him and kicked his ribs. A yelp continued to escape him as you kept kicking him, letting out your frustration. With one last kick you grunted. When you were done you sighed and then fixed your jacket. Turning you sent Yoongi a look to handle him. Which he gave you a nod back as he got off the sofa and walked over to grab James and drag him somewhere.
"Alright Hobi, Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jin with me. Namjoon, please help Yoongi with this mess," you ordered softly. Namjoon nodded and followed after Yoongi. The others of your gang began dragging struggling men in their grasp following Namjoon and Yoongi. As for the ones you ordered to follow you, they followed behind you. As you led them out the building. Walking out of the building you soon paused and took a deep breath of fresh air.
"How do you want to deal with these people, Alpha?" Jin asked from beside you. He soon placed a hand on your back rubbing to comfort you and then guided you to move. The both of you soon walked to the car next to each other keeping pace with one another.
"To be honest Jin I really don't know at the moment. I'll have to really talk it over with everyone," you sighed. You honestly didn't know what to do at the moment with the knowledge you just found out. You knew for a fact that you wanted to get the others' opinion and their thoughts on what to do. Before you took action against these gangs trying to take over your territory.
"Well we'll have to do something soon," he informed you with a grim look. But he soon smiled at you which you returned with your own smile. Your smile soon turned to a frown when you thought of the subject of your conversation.
"I know Jin," you agreed with a sigh, sending a nod his way.
You both finally made it to the car. Taehyung and Jungkook were still huddled up together when you turned around to check up on the hybrids. Hobi and Jimin were still in their animal forms behind the two of them. Seeming to be staying guarded and observing the area around us. This caused you to smile at the two hybrids.
"We'll have to squeeze into this car. Just warning you guys. I'll sit in Hobi's or Jimin's lap," you voiced to the four hybrids. Turning you looked over to see Jin already getting into the driver seat. Walking past you opened the back door for Taehyung and Jungkook who went into the car hesitantly. You ignored their hestiants and gestured to Jimin and Hobi to follow you. Which they did obediently. Once you were at the trunk of the car you tapped on top of the trunk the rings on your fingers making a noise signaling to Jin. You soon was granted with it opening. Reaching into the trunk you took out some clothes from a bag. Turning you were met with Jimin and Hobi both in their human forms with big smiles. Smiling back with a chuckle, you gave them the extra clothes before turning and shutting the trunk.
"You two did good today." you informed them as you turned to them.
"It was a difficult raid but it turned out okay," Hobi explained to you as he buttoned up his pants. He had a wide smile as his tail wagged. Smiling at him you reached up to fix his hair causing his wolf ear to twitch. He soon hugged you which you returned happily. You giggled when you felt a growl come from him when you kissed his cheek close to his lips. You were soon sandwiched between the two hybrids. Because Jimin had joined into the hug wrapping his arms around you from behind. A purr left him as he hugged you and Hobi close to him.
"Yeah it seemed like it. I really hate that James guy. I was getting ready to jump him when he talked nasty about you Y/n," Jimin growled. Hobi soon nodded his head that was buried into your neck scenting you with his own growl. Chuckling you were about to comfort the two but was cut off by Jin shouting from the window.
"Come on you three we gotta get going!" Jin exclaimed from the open window. You chuckled once again hearing the two wrapped around you sigh with a pout. Shaking your head you took their hands and led them to the front of the car. Hobi walked to the front door of the car soon after you gave him a kiss on the cheek. Jimin kept a hold of your hand as you led him to the back door of the car. Opening the door you were met with Taehyung and Jungkook sitting in the middle and window seat. Jimin soon went and sat in the car. Then you were pulled onto his lap soon after. You chuckled at him when he hugged you close. Sitting sideways in his lap youthen wrapped your arms around him. There was a long silence in the car, that is until Hobi turned around in his seat with a big smile. Looking at us, his tail wagging. You could feel Jimin chuckle against you.
"Hi I'm sure you already know but I'm Hobi. I was the wolf that was there with you guys!" Hobi beamed at the two as he waved. You always loved and admired how welcoming and bright Hobi's attitude was. Especially in your line of work. You found it enduring.
"H - Hi," Jungkook stuttered from his seat near the window.
"Calm down Hobi. Sorry about him he can be a bit much. He means well though," Jin reassured Jungkook and Taehyung. Who both looked confused and still scared. You knew he saw this so he was trying to make sure they were comfortable. But as he said what he said Hobi's ears fell flat on his head as he pouted.
"Oh don't worry Hobi we love you the way you are," you gushed. Leaning forward carefully with Jimin still holding you, you reached forward and moved his hair from his eyes. This caused Hobi to blush as a smile came on his face again as he looked at you. After that it seemed everyone went quiet again. Smiling at Hobi and more so to yourself you leaned back into Jimin who hugged you tightly. Turning you looked at the two next to you. Seeing them you watched as the two had looks of confusion.
They were watching the four of us with wonder.
You knew they had questions. But at the moment you were too tired to answer them. Sighing, you took off your heels and unbuttoned your coat. You proceeded to get comfortable and curled up into a ball in Jimin's lap. Soon you placed your head on his shoulder. After a moment you closed your eyes and then felt Jimin place a kiss on your head. Smiling, you snuggled more into his hold. You knew you had a lot to do. You were just so tired at the moment. You really tried to stay up but the last thing you heard was a whisper near your ear.
"It's okay go to sleep love," Jimin soothed.
As you slept the other five were silent. That is until Hobi turned around in his seat with a look blank of emotions. He looked at the two with seriousness. As Hobi looked at them Jimin soon shuffled with you sleeping in his hold and looked at the two with the same expression. Taehyung and Jungkook soon scooted closer together not knowing what was going on or what was happening. Jin knew though and kept his attention on the road. He knew the conversation the hybrids were about to have and would only join if necessary.
"I'm only going to say this once to the both of you. You hurt or put my pack in danger. I will hunt you down with Jimin and it won't be pretty," Hobi growled at the two hybrids who were cowered in the corner of the car. Jimin nodded in agreement. The two knew better than to challenge the wolf and what they guessed to be the cheetah hybrid. And they weren't really surprised at the threat. This was their pack and they were wanting to keep it safe.
"I wouldn't take the threat lightly, it's not just them you have to worry about," Jin threw in as he drove. Understanding the two nodded obediently as they looked at the others.
"Other than that we're heading back to our home. There you can rest for the night we will provide you with the essentials you will need. We will keep our part of the deal... but you need to make a big decision. Join our gang or start anew. Take your time tonight, sit on it, discuss it... whatever. We will send someone for you in the morning and you can meet with all of us. Tell us your decision and ask your questions then. And things will be done according to your decision," Jimin informed the two. As he rubbed your back as you slept.
The two hybrids in the corner of the car gulped and sighed and looked into each other's eyes. Seeming to have a conversation of their own. They had so many questions but knew they needed to talk about what they were going to do with their life. But something was bothering the two and Jungkook couldn't keep it to himself much longer.
"Will we be able to stay together with whatever choice we make?" Jungkook asked the others as he looked at Taehyung. Once hearing this question Hobi and Jimin looked at each other as Jin looked at the two as well. They understood their question and wanted to calm them. They knew the feeling of wanting to stay together.
"Yes, we will make sure to keep you together. Now that is all I wanted to let you know about. We still have a ways to get to our home. So go ahead and rest. You guys can ask more questions tomorrow," Hobi explained and was the first to answer. With a soft smile for the first time since the beginning of the serious conversation. After that the car was silent. Taehyung and Jungkook cuddled close together and rested. Hobi watched as the scenery passed as he reached over and he held Jin's hand. Jimin was purring contentedly as he cuddled into you. You sighed happily in your sleep as you snuggled into Jimin's arms.
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wishesunderthestars · 10 months
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Eunoia // Ch. 25
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eunoia (noun): beautiful thinking, the possession of a well-balanced mind, which exhibits goodwill and kindness
Pairings: Hybrid! BTS x reader
Summary: You are a world famous director and you have dedicated your life to your job.You have everything you could ever dream of; wealth, recognision, talent, your friends and family. But loneliness isn’t cured by success. So what happens when you somehow rescue seven hybrids? Can they fill the void?
Genre: Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, eventual smut
Word Count: 9.2k+
Warnings: past abuse, past sexual abuse, cursing, past violence, mentions of blood, panic attacks
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Trained in waking up early and pulling all-nighters because of filming, you were used to witnessing the sun rise. Usually, you didn’t pay it much attention. The sun rose every day and you had other more important things to do than watch it go through the same motions. You were rushing to leave, making coffee and answering texts on your phone or you were too tired to do anything other than go straight to bed and close the blinds.
You had forgotten how beautiful it was, how the quiet of the early morning glowed in soft orange. Only you and Seokjin were awake, snuggled up on the large white couch on the balcony on the main floor. Your feet were laying on his lap and his arm was wrapped around your waist.
You had woken up early, fading images of the red ballroom and empty eyes haunted your sleep as much as you tried to bury them during the day. Thankfully, Jimin hadn’t been there when you had woken up, drenched in sweat and grasping wildly at the sheets to remind yourself that you were at the Castle. That it had been more than a week since you had been in that ballroom.
It would go away. It had to. It was over. Nothing happened to you. You would get over it.
 You got up, stretched your sore muscles from all the walking the previous day and put on some music to take your mind off the long green dress and paddle numbers, and started your day. No one else was supposed to be awake so early in the morning but when you went to the kitchen to make yourself a cup of coffee, Seokjin was already there, mixing pancake batter with a large wooden spoon. 
Putting your arms around him, you had watched him work until he sent you away, claiming that you were distracting him. It wasn’t your fault that his neck looked in desperate need of kissing and that your mouth had trailed downwards subconsciously. Since you weren’t wanted in the kitchen, you went outside to the balcony to savor the sharp air before the sun appeared on the horizon.
Seokjin joined you soon with two cups of coffee. “It feels like a mug of hot coffee would be more appropriate, but the weather’s too hot,” you had joked.
He had made your favorite iced coffee in the way too-expensive coffee machine you had purchased when you first got the house. Another one of your impulsive purchases. But it was worth it. It made some of the best coffee you had ever tasted. The only coffee above that was made by a small coffee shop nestled in a quiet alleyway in Paris. The perfect amount of milk and sugar, not too sweet and not too bitter. 
You were both a little tired from your little trip to the lake. A sweet kind of pull in your chest, not easily noticeable. You had returned as the sky grew darker and had ordered takeout for dinner, which you enjoyed spread around the garden. Surprisingly, almost everything in the baskets had been devoured during your time at the lake. Alice had been reluctant to leave but you had promised her that she was welcome to visit you again soon. She had hugged each of you tightly—even Yoongi, who didn’t seem to mind at all—and promised that she would be back to play more.
“She’s a little hurricane,” Seokjin said. He was glowing with the sunrise stroking his face. “She reminds me of you a little. Was that what you were like when you were little?”
“I was never that cute,” you joked. Your aunt would argue but while Alice was a hurricane, sweeping up everyone in her way and winning them over, you had been a nightmare, difficult to handle, not listening to anyone, and independent to a fault. “Or that social. I would like to believe that I contributed a little to the shaping of her personality but honestly, her parents are both amazing. They raised her really well and she was already incredible to begin with. She will become a much better person than me.”
He looked down at your legs resting on his lap. “That will be hard. You are probably the best person I know.” He shrugged as if what he said didn’t matter, as if it didn’t make flowers bloom in your chest.
You caressed his cheek, prompting him to look at you. “That might be a little worrying but thank you. You are one of the best people I know too. Shhhh,” you quieted down his protests. “If you can say that about me, I can say that about you.”
“I haven’t done anything special. Nothing like you. You-”
“Stop that.” You laid two fingers on his lips and he obediently stilled them under your touch. “First, you don’t have to do anything special. Who defines special either way? Some of the kindest, most loyal, amazing people I know show these qualities in small ways, that doesn’t make them any less special. Second, who says you didn’t do anything special? Who was there for Jungkook when he distanced himself from everyone else? Who cooks for us every day and takes care of us? Who is always trying to cheer us up when someone is feeling down? Who-?”
“Enough, enough,” he interrupted you, shaking his head. His human ear and cheeks were stark red at all the praise. “I know I’m amazing, that’s enough.”
You laughed and captured his lips in a kiss. Warmth, more comforting than what the sun could provide, filled your insides as you tangled your fingers in his soft hair. He opened his lips for you and you slowly explored the inside of his mouth. You had always enjoyed kissing but nothing compared to the kisses you had shared with your hybrids the past few months.
Lazy mornings were rare for you. There was always one reason or another to be running around the house in a hurry to leave or lock yourself in your office. You were hostage to an endless need to always be productive. That’s what mornings were for. Maybe you had been completely wrong because this one was one of the best mornings you had ever experienced.
Seokjin heard the footsteps on the stairs before you did, turning his head around to watch Jungkook, Jimin, and Namjoon climb up. You called for them and Jungkook and Jimin ran to you, squeezing themselves between you. Namjoon followed laughing and sat down next to Seokjin, throwing an arm around his shoulders.
Hoseok, Yoongi, and Taehyung appeared soon and Seokjin left to go plate the breakfast and bring it to the balcony. You didn’t eat on the balcony often, mostly because of the low table that made it a little uncomfortable, but no one wanted to move. Jungkook and Namjoon went with Seokjin inside to help but when you moved to do the same, Jimin wrapped his arms around your waist tightly and wouldn’t let you go.
“No, you are staying with me!” he exclaimed and proceeded to bury his face in your belly, purring.
Hoseok looked at you in amusement and you shrugged your shoulders, used to Jimin’s antics by now. The three of them took one of the other two couches while the five of you remained squeezed in one. Yoongi looked adorably rumpled from sleep, messy hair and heavy eyes, the stark opposite of Hoseok, who was wide awake and energetic as usual. Taehyung wasn’t the statue he was the first few days but he remained perfectly kept and quiet.
You filled your plate with three pancakes and your favorite toppings and dug in. The conversation returned to your trip to the lake.
“When can we go again?” Jungkook asked, chewing his pancakes with passion.
You cut another piece of your pancakes. “You can go whenever you want, it isn’t that far from the house.”
He pouted. “I meant all of us together.”
“That’s… a little harder,” you said. “I’m back at work next week and I have a full schedule. You can go together though. John and Alice could join you even if I’m not there.”
Jungkook’s bottom lip stuck out even further. “It isn’t the same without you.”
“If there is a day I finish work early, I might join you.” You could barely drag your feet back home most days after work and the trek to the lake would feel like hell, but you would try for them.
Namjoon seemed to know exactly what you were thinking. “You are too tired after work for that. After working for so many hours we can’t expect you to trek down to the lake. You come back after the sun has set or just as it’s setting, it would be exhausting for you to walk for half an hour down to the lake in the dark and then in an hour or so walk back again.”
You wanted to protest but you knew he was right. Although your work wasn’t physically demanding, you spent long hours on your feet, instructing the actors and the crew and checking in with different departments. By the time you were home even dragging your feet to the garden for dinner was a struggle.
You reached for Jungkook’s hand, rubbing your thumb in circles to soothe him. “We’ll figure something out, yeah? If I take a day off–When I take a day off,” you corrected yourself, “we can do something fun. We could go to the lake or we could do something else. Los Angeles is full of places to visit and activities to try.”
Jungkook seemed to think about it for a few seconds before perking up and asking if you could visit a gallery he had seen on the internet. You were quick to agree as Jimin joined as well, asking you about all the places he wanted to visit. You had told them before that they were free to go out without you anywhere they liked, you had printed their papers just in case so they could have them in case the Hybrid Services asked any questions, but they had yet to step further than the Castle grounds and the forest alone. John could also accompany them but no one had taken you up to your offer.
As you were finishing breakfast your phone started ringing. One of the producers of Six of Crows was calling.
“Sorry, I have to take this one,” you said, answering the call.
You ended up having to go down to your office to look up some files on your computer. As the premiere date approached, you would be getting more calls like this. Post-production was finished by now and the movie was nearly ready to be shown on the big screen but there were still a few tiny details that needed fine-tuning.
Ending the call, you checked your emails since you were already in front of your computer. You would probably go to the studios later in the day to speak with a few members of your team on the Raven Cycle project. You wouldn’t stay long but it meant that you had to schedule your day around it. Your break hadn’t ended yet you were already overwhelmed with work. Your to-do list stretched on and on, seemingly endless.
Your back and neck were getting stiff because of all the sitting and lounging around. You should start doing some exercises again. During your break, you had only been to the gym once and it was only two floors down. You should get back into the habit but you were great at finding excuses not to go. You were too busy, too tired, too preoccupied.
There was a knock on the door. You looked at the time at the bottom right corner of your computer screen and realized it was four hours later.
“Come in,” you called. You rolled your neck and heard the little pops. You desperately needed some exercise. And a massage. And an improved posture probably.
Hoseok opened the door with his elbow as he carried a tray inside your office. “I come bearing gifts,” he said with a wide heart-shaped smile. It was like the room instantly brightened. If the sun was personified, it would be Hoseok.
“What have you brought me?” you asked, making space on your desk for the tray. You had to look through some of your old files and they covered most of the surface. You stacked them into piles quickly, to be organized properly at a later time.
“Jin made fruit salad and we have some leftover muffins from yesterday. Jungkook made the juice, it’s banana and cherry!”
The fruit salad was a mix of mango, strawberries, watermelon, blackberries, peaches, and berries. A vanilla muffin was next to it and a tall glass of juice. “Everything looks delicious. Thank you.”
You moved to grab the fork and winced when you pulled on your stiff muscles. Hoseok’s smile faded. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry,” you were quick to say. “I’ve just been sitting in this chair a lot these past few days and my back is complaining. Really, that’s on me.”
“I…” He hesitated for a moment. “I could give you a massage if you’d like. I’m not a professional but I… I used to give massages to my past owner often. He was an idol so he danced and performed a lot and I had learned from masseurs how to do it. I could do that for you if you liked.”
“You don’t have to. It’s just a stiff back, it’ll go away when I stop sitting all day.”
A massage sounded like heaven at that moment but you could do without it. Giving massages could be tiring and Hoseok didn’t have to do that just because you had bad posture and had stopped going regularly to the gym. If you really needed it, you could pay a masseur to come to your house. It seemed silly so you never did, but you could.
“I want to,” he said eagerly, his tail standing at attention. “I can make you feel better, I promise. If you’re comfortable with that, of course.”
You searched his face for any sign that he didn’t actually want to do it but you found nothing. “Okay, then. I would love a massage right now.”
“Yay! I will do my best,” Hoseok promised. “Let’s attack those muscle knots! Gently of course.” You giggled as he came to stand behind you. He pretended to crack his fingers before settling them on your shoulders. You were wearing a shirt with spaghetti straps and his hands were warm on your bare skin, which buzzed in anticipation. “Lean forward a little. Yeah, that’s perfect.”
He dug his fingers on either side of your neck and you had to bite your lip to stop a very embarrassing sound from slipping out. It sent a current through your whole body like you went numb to everything except the feeling of his hands on you. He kneaded your muscles, progressively adding more pressure. You closed your eyes, your body relaxing, losing some of the tension.
“That feels good,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady.
“I told you.” You could hear the satisfied smile on his face even though you kept your eyes closed.
One by one, your strings unraveled and your body felt lighter, as if you could float away if he pulled his hands away. He worked on the knots on the back of your neck and around it before he moved on to your shoulders and shoulder blades. You had received massages before–you had visited spas with friends on several occasions–but this felt different. You forgot about work and all the things you had to do, all the million little things that were hanging over your head, and for a moment you let yourself relax.
♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩
The forest was still, bracketed by the almost black of the night. There were no lights that Yoongi could see coming from inside, even though you said there were multiple holiday homes around the lake. The Castle stood alone, like a real castle guarding the forest.
Hoseok was humming along to a pop song that was playing on his phone, it was at a low volume so his humming was almost as loud as the music. It was late into the night, everyone in the house having already retreated to their rooms. Yoongi didn’t care much about the song, it was generic at best. The vocals weren’t great and the beat was the same beat that every song used this summer with a little tweaking. But Hoseok liked it so he didn’t say anything.
The fox hybrid was sprawled on his bed, his eyes half closed as he moved his head to the music. His silk nightshirt had ridden up to expose a sliver of smooth tanned skin and Yoongi’s eyes kept being drawn to it.
“Anything interesting out there?” Hoseok asked. Yoongi shrugged. “You have been standing there for half an hour. Don’t look at me like that, you have.”
He raised his eyebrows, doubting that it had been that long, but moved away from the balcony door, sitting down on his bed. “It’s the same every night.”
“And you still look every night.” Hoseok turned off the music and stretched. His shirt rode up higher.
Yoongi looked down at his hands. “It’s calming. There is something about the trees and the lake, being away from the city. It’s quiet.”
His ears picked up the soft shuffling before a weight dipped into the bed next to him. “It’s nice, isn’t it? Has it really been only five months since we’ve been here? Less than that? I can’t imagine living in the city again, too much noise.”
Yoongi had lived his whole life in cities, he was used to their noise and the way it never went away. The sound of cars and motorbikes, people talking and shouting. It was never quiet. Not the way it was out here.
He wanted to tell Hoseok that he would never have to live in the city again but he couldn’t. On one hand, your job could lead you anywhere and Yoongi had a feeling that wherever you went, they would follow you, just like Virginia. On the other hand, although some part of him insisted that this was permanent, that this life they had built here wouldn’t be taken from them, he knew that the world wasn’t so kind. Sometimes, he stayed up at night thinking about it while Hoseok dreamed. He gazed at the forest to remind himself that they were still here, in this small paradise on earth, and then contemplated all the ways this could end. His mind wasn’t kind to him on those nights.
“Virginia was like this too,” Hoseok continued. “I miss it a little. The countryside was pretty and the house too. Almost like a fairytale. Do you think we’ll go back again?”
Hoseok’s hand was fidgeting on his thigh and Yoongi grabbed it to still it. “Maybe. She will have to film another season after this one. If this show is as successful as they say, there will be a few more seasons to come. They built sets and everything there.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Hoseok scooted closer to him and laid his head on his shoulder, their hands intertwined. “Do you think she will rent the same house? I want to go back there. It felt like home.”
Yoongi refrained from telling him that wherever he was, it felt like home. It was something someone more expressive than Yoongi would say, instead he said, “We can ask her. I don’t think she’ll mind. If it isn’t booked at the time, we could stay there again.”
“I’ll recruit Jiminie, she can’t say no to him,” he said, nuzzling closer to Yoongi’s neck, almost scenting him.
“She can’t say no to any of you.”
Hoseok hummed, his breath warming Yoongi’s skin and the scent of cinnamon tickling his lungs. “She wouldn’t say no to you either. If you ever asked her for anything.”
Yoongi didn’t know what to think about that. If he believed it. Yoongi had been trying to do better, trying to be a better person than he had been at the beginning. He would hate himself if he ever put you through what he had before. He would be making it up to you for his whole life. He wasn’t the same as the other hybrids, the same courtesy shouldn’t be extended to him.
Hoseok’s lips brushed his neck, light as a feather, and Yoongi shivered at the touch. Scenting each other wasn’t something new, they had been doing that since they escaped the ring. Before that, they would brush their wrists together through the bars of their cages, longing for the small comfort of each other’s scent. After Yoongi had disappeared, Hoseok had been touching and scenting him more as if he was afraid that he would slip through his fingers.
Some nights, Hoseok would crawl into his bed in the middle of the night and cling on to him. “Stay,” Hoseok would say. He didn’t tell him what his nightmares were about, he didn’t have to.
Yoongi vowed to himself to never leave him again. He would bite, scratch, and kick his way to him if he ever had to.
He had a lot to regret about that first month. He hadn’t only hurt you, he had hurt everyone else too. His own nightmares persisted, leaving him clutching the sheets, with his back to Hoseok, staying deadly still so he wouldn’t wake him up. So no one would know that those days still haunted him even though he wasn’t the one who had suffered.
In some of his dreams, the hybrid ring got to him before you did and punished him for escaping, before stabbing an injection in his neck and hauling him to the ring for one last fight. In others, it was Hoseok that they took and those were worse. They found him when he was looking for him and Yoongi could do nothing to stop them, voiceless with his feet rooted to the floor.
In some rare ones, he never made it out of the house. Namjoon threw him against the wall and held him there, looking more like a vengeful god than the real Namjoon. His sharp teeth gleamed viciously as he sunk them into Yoongi’s neck, breaking the skin and ripping out everything that was keeping him alive.
Hoseok pulled back, his eyes searching Yoongi’s face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Thinking.” Of course, Hoseok would notice his thoughts spiraling. Yoongi had mastered hiding all emotions from his face but Hoseok could see right through any masks he crafted.
“You looked a little lost there for a moment,” he said, drawing closer to him again. “You can talk to me, you know.” He spoke almost jokingly but he couldn’t hide the tendrils of hurt in his voice. “I know you like to keep some things to yourself… But I’m here for you. I would never judge you, I swear.”
Yoongi was a coward. After his talk with Jimin, he had been planning to tell him everything but he kept putting it off. It was never the right moment, it could wait.
“I know,” Yoongi said quietly, squeezing Hoseok’s hand. “I want to tell you. I think you deserve that after everything.”
Hoseok frowned. “It isn’t about what I deserve. I just want to know so I can help. So I can understand you better. Nothing you say can ever change the way I see you. Nothing. You were there for me when I thought my life was over, that everything was over. You saved me, Yoongi. I would have died in there if it hadn’t been for you. I would trust you with my life. But sometimes, when you don’t tell me things—important things—it makes me feel like you don’t trust me at all.”
Yoongi’s heart gave a terrible bang. “That isn’t true. I trust you. I trust you more than anyone. I trust you more than I trust myself. It’s just… It’s hard to tell you when I want to forget.”
“I understand,” Hoseok said, his gaze falling on their joined hands on Yoongi’s lap. “But I don’t think you can forget either way.”
“You’re right, I can’t. And I never will.” It was too big, too cruel. For worse or for better, it had changed who he was to his core. He was who he was because of what had happened to him and Jimin. He had met both Jimin and Hoseok because of that monster. “But I want you to know now.”
So he told him everything. He detached himself from his words and numbed his feelings, because he was afraid that if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He started from the beginning, from his first owner to the terrible end. He couldn’t look at him as he spoke, focusing on their connected hands. Hoseok’s scent soured until Yoongi could barely recognize it. But he had to power on.
When he was finished, Hoseok shot up, wrapping his arms around him impossibly hard and buried his face in Yoongi’s neck. There was wetness brushing against his throat and Yoongi only hugged him tighter.
“I’m sorry.” Hoseok’s voice was breaking and Yoongi hated that he was the cause for it, even though it was better this way. “It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t. I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” He brought his wrist to Hoseok’s neck, gently scenting him. They both needed it. “You saved me too. You saved me, Hobi.”
And sleep claimed them like that, wrapped up in each other with dried tears on their cheeks.
♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩
Taehyung lay still in his bed, not making a sound. Phantom pains spread over his body, squeezing and squeezing until nothing was left of him. His head was loud but the sounds were muffled as if he was submerged underwater.
The room was illuminated by the soft light from the lamp next to his bed. He left it on every night. It was the same pattern, his nightmares not allowing him to rest more than a few hours at a time. There were new ones now. Ones of the red ballroom, the people in the chairs turning into monsters and dragging their claws all over his skin. You stood among them in your green dress, watching as it happened, your face empty.
Taehyung opened his eyes. He could see the forest from his room. He had never been to a forest before coming to the Castle, had never even seen one. It was majestic, the dark greens and browns, the way the branches reached towards the sky. Upwards and upwards.
He closed his eyes again. His tears had long dried when sleep swept him away again.
♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩
Your heartbeat rattled your chest as if being chased by an invisible force with no escape. You swallowed down the bitterness in your mouth and willed the sharp images of your nightmare away. They were so clear, the red curtains and the shiny floors. The taste of the expensive champagne and the hors d’ oeuvre on your tongue. Long dresses swayed at your vision's edge, silk, velvet, and satin. Steady hands held guns aimed at you, they went off with a terrible scream. You woke up.
You were awake. You were in your room in the Castle. You were safe.
You tried to calm down your erratic breathing. Jimin was sleeping next to you and the last thing you wanted was to wake him up in the middle of the night and worry him. Clenching your teeth, you silently counted each breath. Were your hands shaking? They felt like they were shaking.
One, two, three.
Slower. Try slower.
Did your hands stop shaking? You gripped the fabric of your nightgown.
One, two–
A sleepy voice calling your name disturbed the murky waters of your mind. “Are you okay?”
You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. It was over. You were in Los Angeles. You were fine. Nothing had happened to you, no one had questioned you. You had gotten out. You were fine.
“Did I wake you up?” you asked. Your voice sounded weak even to your ears.
You heard the sheets rustle as Jimin moved closer. “Can I hug you?”
In the darkness of the room, you couldn’t see him well, only the shape of his body. “You don’t have to ask.”
“You are shaking.”
Were you? So it wasn’t just your hands. Another deep breath. Force your muscles to relax like the pieces of a machine.
“I am okay now, don’t worry. Come here.” You opened your arms and Jimin crawled into them, hugging your waist and laying his head on your collarbones. “Go back to sleep, kitten.”
Jimin shook his head. “Not if you don’t. What happened?”
“Just a bad dream, it was nothing.” The lies tasted bitter on your tongue. Were they lies though? It should be nothing, it shouldn’t be haunting you like that. Nothing had happened to you, you reminded yourself as if you repeated it enough times maybe the nightmares would go away. “I just need a few minutes to forget it.”
“Do you want to talk about it? Maybe that could be better than forgetting,” Jimin said.
But forgetting was the goal. Or at least getting rid of the nightmares that shouldn’t still be happening. It was over and you were okay. You were okay. There was no reason to worry Jimin, not when you weren’t the one who had suffered. You got dressed up, drank some champagne and made small talk. It wasn’t the end of the world.
“You don’t have to worry about this, it’ll go away on its own.” You run a hand up his back to comfort him. “My brain is just playing tricks on me.”
Jimin’s hand sought out your own and intertwined your fingers. He was quiet for a few moments before speaking, “Is this about the auction?”
You stilled. He couldn’t have known. You hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. And what right did you have to complain about it? You composed yourself. “How did you guess?”
“You have been… different since you came back. You have been lost in your head. I know you are tired and it’s hard with Taehyung now but you can talk to us if you want to. It must have been really scary.” He drew closer to you, gripping your hand tighter.
“I wasn’t alone. I had John there with me.”
“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary,” he whispered. “We were scared for you. We thought– We trusted you but we were scared.”
Your fingers tangled in his hair and rubbed behind his cat ears which you knew would relax him. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“It’s okay. Taehyung is here now.”
Regardless of how many nightmares you had and the tightening in your chest whenever you saw the color of blood. Regardless of the constant fear of being discovered that would never go away. You could never regret what you had done. Not for a moment. Just thinking of Taehyung in that man’s hands evaporated any doubts you had about your decision.
Jimin nosed softly at your collarbones. “We love you. It’s okay to be scared, you can share it with us. You can share it with me.”
“I’m not scared,” you said. It didn’t matter that it sounded like you were lying to yourself. “It’s over. It’s been more than a week since it happened. I’m the last person who should be having nightmares over it.”
“Why are you saying that? It must have been terrifying.”
You took a deep breath, the red bleeding into the darkness. “It was easy to blend in. It was like so many of the parties and galas I have attended. I was the guest of honor, no one suspected anything. I wasn’t the one–”
You cut yourself off before you uttered the words but both of you knew. Silence fell between you. You wished you could fall asleep again but sleep was so far away.
“Do you feel guilty?” he asked quietly.
“For what?” You were confused. Why would you feel guilty? You had done your best, probably more than anyone in their right mind would do.
Jimin gave a small shrug, bringing your joined hands to your chest. “You just sounded like it. Like you felt guilty for having nightmares about it. You don’t have to be. You are here and you are okay but– But you could have not been.” There was fear in his voice and it hurt.
You held him closer and squeezed his hand. You were there now and you wouldn’t be going anywhere. His breath warmed your bare skin. You weren’t alone anymore, you had seven people to think about when you made decisions. You had a home and you would fight to get back to it every time.
“Let’s go to sleep, kitten. We’ll dream better together.”
♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩
After your short break, your return to work was uneventful. A few more days would have been nice but time was moving fast and there were a lot of things to do. On your first day back, before you had left the house Jimin and Jungkook got teary-eyed saying goodbye to you. Going back to work was hard for you too after being used to staying at home with them, but you would fall into your usual routine soon enough.
Your work was a big part of who you were, returning to the studios was like returning home in a way. The cast and the crew greeted you warmly with hugs and pats on the back. Will handed you a pack of papers and you made your way together to the reading room. You would be doing a few read-throughs to get the actors familiar with the characters again and work through a few knots in the script.
It was the same way it had been, waking up at the crack of dawn and returning when the sun was descending in the sky. The hybrids clung to you in any way they could while you were home. At breakfast and dinner, there was always someone touching you, Jimin sitting on your lap or Namjoon holding your hand or Jungkook hugging you from behind. They missed you and you missed them too but there was little you could do.
In the quiet of the night when most of the hybrids had retired, you asked Hoseok how Taehyung was adjusting. The answer was always the same. Hopeful but disappointing as well—guilt ate at you for feeling disappointed when you knew Taehyung was doing his best.
The story of the Raven Boys unraveled during the days and the nights. Your copy of the script was overflowing with red ink, underlined lines, and writing in the margins. It was shaping up to become everything you had envisioned and more. And you were happy. But you also missed spending more than a few hours at the Castle.
You could invite them to join you for filming and spend a little more time with them. However, you had a one-track mind while you were working and you couldn’t provide the attention they deserved. Often, you got too lost in your work. You could feel it now, clouding your mind and blending the days into a string of numbered scenes and takes.
It was a blessing that one week into filming, you finished early, just a couple of hours after lunch, and instead of staying and obsessing over the smallest details like you were prone to doing, you packed your backpack and returned home. John drove you back with instructions to relax and not think about work until the next morning. You didn’t mind listening to him.
“I’m home,” you shouted after opening the door. Due to their sensitive hearing any hybrid on the top two floors would hear the door opening, you liked to let them know it was you so they wouldn’t worry. You had wanted to surprise them so you hadn’t texted that you were coming back.
Jimin and Hoseok were the first ones to rush to the living room. Jimin fell into your arms with practiced ease and buried his face in your neck.
“Surprise,” you said, ruffling his blond hair.
He purred in contentment. Hoseok also joined the hug, his fluffy tail wrapping around your legs.
“Are you staying?” Jimin asked, his eyes shining with hope.
“I am. We finished early today so I’m all yours for the rest of the day.”
Jimin cheered and held onto your hand, following you into the kitchen where you poured yourself a glass of homemade lemonade from the fridge. A book and a few notebooks were spread over the kitchen island and you took a closer look at them. You recognized the textbook as one you had bought a few years ago during your first visit to Seoul for the press tour of one of your Oscar-winning films. You had read through the first few pages on the plane back to LA and when you had arrived you had placed it on the shelf that housed all your language-learning books and never picked it up again.
“Are you learning Korean?” you asked Jimin, scanning the awkward handwritten Korean letters in the pages of the notebook.
Flustered, Jimin didn’t look at you as he replied, “Hoseok is helping me. I thought I could communicate better with Taehyung if I knew a bit of Korean but it’s really hard.”
“He’s doing really well though,” Hoseok interjected with pride. “He is getting good at reading Hangul and he knows a few basic phrases too. He is learning very quickly.”
Jimin shrugged, his cheeks getting adorably rosy. “I have a great teacher.”
Hoseok cooed at the younger hybrid while you flipped through the pages of the textbook. You recognized your handwriting on the first few, you had written down a few questions you had so you could look them up later, which didn’t happen. Now, the answers were written underneath your questions in blue ink. The next pages were marked in both Jimin’s and Hoseok’s handwriting, there were notes in the margins and between lines and little doodles of flowers and butterflies.
Footsteps climbing up the stairs prompted you to let go of the notebook. Jungkook came running through the kitchen door and threw himself at you, nuzzling into your neck. You planted your feet on the ground and caught him just in time before you both went flying back.
“You’re back,” he whispered. He was bouncing on his feet, his excitement contagious.
“We finished early so I packed everything up and rushed back,” you said. “Has it been that long since I was back at a normal hour?”
Jungkook nodded resolutely and you couldn’t help but giggle. The truth was that it was the first time you were finishing early since filming had started again. The first week back was the busiest since you had to review everything, redraw most of the plans, check in with every department, and generally when you weren’t actively filming you spent them running around the studios like a headless chicken.
You should get a day off as soon as you could. For a workaholic, you missed being at home with them too much.
Namjoon and Seokjin were the next ones to appear at the kitchen door. Jungkook still hadn’t let go of you so they were content to leave twin kisses on your cheeks while teasing the bunny hybrid.
“Is Yoongi with Taehyung?” you asked, noting the absence of the two hybrids.
“They are in the garden,” Namjoon said, a fond smile playing on his lips. “Yoongi has been lounging in the sunlight since we finished lunch.”
“He’s starting to gain some color, he looks less like a ghost these days,” Seokjin joked. “Sometimes I think he is more cat than Jimin is.”
You laughed with them before your attention was drawn back to the textbook. It was hard learning a new language, you knew that very well. It could take years to reach a decent level depending on your dedication and the language itself. You remembered Alice suggesting you should learn Korean to communicate better with Taehyung. Jimin was doing just that without anyone asking him to and by the handwriting on a good chunk of the textbook, he had been doing it for some time.
Namjoon also took an interest in the textbook but he already seemed to know that Jimin had been studying the language.
“I would like to learn to,” he said. “I didn’t have to chance to learn another language in the past and it would be beneficial if we could communicate with Taehyung in his mother tongue. Maybe it would get him to open up more.”
Seokjin nodded. “I think it’s a good idea. I would like to learn a bit of Korean too.”
“I could teach you a few things,” Hoseok offered. “But I’m not a teacher, I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time. I can teach you a few words or phrases but”, he glanced at Jimin with a guilty look, “we are having some trouble with grammar.”
“That makes sense,” you reassured him. “It is very different speaking a language, especially when it’s your mother tongue, and teaching it to someone else. That’s why there are university courses for it. It’s a difficult job. But if you really want to learn Korean, I could find you a teacher who specializes in it. That way Hobi would have less on his plate as well.”
Jimin’s eyes widened. “Really? Can you do that?”
“Of course, I can,” you said. “I can find the best Korean teacher in Los Angeles and I can ask them to come here so you won’t have to go to the city. I’ll have to provide transportation of course. How does that sound?”
“Amazing,” Jimin cheered and hugged you again. “Thank you, thank you.”
“It’s the least I could do.”
The least because you couldn’t do the same. You didn’t have the time or the energy to learn another language when most of your day was taken up by your work. During the days you were at the studios and at nights often you had to retire to your office to answer emails and revise scripts before going to sleep. The best you could manage would be to learn a few basic phrases but that wouldn’t be helping anyone.
The arrangements for the teacher were easy. You didn’t have to look long on the internet and after a few calls you had found the perfect candidate who was more than happy to make the trip to the Castle three times a week and stay for three hours to teach the hybrids. You added a very generous bonus for her trouble.
Before finalizing the contract, you talked with Hoseok about an idea you had.
“She could help Taehyung with his English as well. A couple of hours a week could help a lot,” you suggested.
Hoseok was on washing duty after dinner and Taehyung had gone to his room for the night so it was the perfect opportunity to talk to him about this.
“It’s a great idea, if he wants to. I do my best but… I don’t think I’m helping on this,” Hoseok said, scrubbing a plate with the sponge. Foam was everywhere.
You rubbed his arm soothingly. “You’re doing amazing. Much better than I could have hoped for. But I know it’s hard for you and I wish there was a way to help you. I’m sorry I can’t do much.”
Hoseok shrugged, bubbles rising above the dishes. “You are doing the best you can, given the situation. You have already done more than anyone would have expected of you.”
Laughter floated in from the living room. You smiled through your exhaustion.
“Ask Taehyung about the teacher, okay? And tell him it’s your idea, not mine. I don’t want him to accept because I am the one asking.”
♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩
Jimin ran down the stairs, laughing wildly. Energy coursed through his veins and urgency pushed his legs to run faster and faster. He felt like a nymph in Land of the Gods, running through their trees, their hair flowing like an enchantment and laughing and laughing. He didn’t look at his pursuer, he knew who he was and it only filled him with delight.
The rooms blurred as he passed by, never losing his footing. He emerged in the garden and the sun kissed his skin, the fire inside him burning hotter in the heat. The green stretched around him and for a moment, he got the crazy desire to go into the forest and get lost there, underneath the shade of the tall trees. He wanted to dance and drink and eat juicy fruits between the trees like the fae in the stories you told them yesterday night.
Maybe one day.
Instead, he rushed to the stairs that led down to their room. The footsteps behind him were getting closer and he pushed himself to go faster, flying down the stairs.
There was nowhere else to go now and he paused in front of their bed. It was enough time for two hands to wrap around his waist and tackle him on the mattress. He resisted a little, just for show, before wrapping his own arms around broad shoulders and laughing some more. He felt like a child, in a way he couldn’t remember ever feeling before.
“You can’t escape from me,” Jungkook said, hovering above him.
“I didn’t try,” Jimin replied, running his hands over his shoulders and up the sides of his neck. “Bunnies are supposed to be fast, aren’t they? But you only caught me when I had nowhere else to go.”
Jungkook leaned into his touch. “I would have caught you anyway. You couldn’t run forever. Now you’re mine.”
He lowered himself until their bodies were merged together. He sniffed at Jimin’s neck, taking in his scent like he had done so many times, before rubbing his nose and his cheek over his scent gland. Jimin couldn’t stop the purrs that escaped him as his body melted. His hands tangled in Jungkook’s hair, who made an appreciative sound.
The scent of pears and gardenias was everywhere, it was deliciously overwhelming. He could almost taste the sweetness and tanginess of the pears on his tongue.
He tugged on Jungkook’s hair before he could lose his mind. “My turn.”
Jungkook arched his neck back to allow Jimin to scent him. He quickly found his scent gland and buried his face there. He closed his eyes and a garden bloomed behind his eyelids.
Jungkook’s scent was so sweet and it was mouth-watering combined with the pack’s scents. He could smell his own scent there and Namjoon’s scent of summer rain and pine trees was enveloping everything. The aroma of honey buns and sweet milk glazed over them like sugar and notes of cinnamon and sandalwood pushed through. If he looked for it, he could detect your scent, naturally fainter than hybrids’. Greedily, he searched for two more scents but he could only get the impression of dark chocolate. He might have imagined it.
“I’m happy,” Jmin whispered like it was a secret. There was the irrational fear that if he said it any louder, he would tempt fate to take it back.
“I’m happy too,” Jungkook said, laying his head on Jimin’s chest.
Jimin tangled his hands in his hair and massaged his scalp, he was rewarded with a pleased sigh. “It’s like everything has finally fallen into place. I’m not sad anymore. I didn’t realize how sad I was until I wasn’t. Even when I was happy, I was sad too. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You don’t have to.” Jungkook caught his hand in his and brought it to his mouth, placing kisses on the back of it. Jimin’s heart fluttered with the wings of thousands of butterflies. “All that matters to me is that you aren’t anymore. I only want you to be happy. I know it isn’t possible to be happy all the time but I want us all to be happy. Together and happy.”
“Together and happy,” Jimin repeated quietly.
Every time he was was with Jungkook like that, his mind strayed. It went to all the possibilities, all the could-have-beens and the what-ifs. What would have happened if Jimin wasn’t a coward, if he hadn’t run away? If he had told you what had happened before, would he have been braver? Did Jungkook feel the same after everything that happened? Did he still want to kiss him?
His bunny was so beautiful, his soft dark brown ears that flopped against his hair, his cute nose and large eyes that held the galaxy inside them. Everything about him was beautiful and Jimin loved him so much he could burst. He wasn’t sure if it was right to love him like this, to want to kiss him and hold him like lovers did but he trusted you when you said that it was okay.
Lost in his thoughts, he tugged lightly on Jungkook’s hair, who let out a sound that lit a fire inside him. It was a moan, Jungkook had moaned.
His cheeks growing red, he looked at Jimin like a deer caught in headlines. “I’m sorry! I didn’t- I shouldn’t-”
“Jungkookie, it’s okay.”
“No, no. I’m sorry,” he continued quickly. “I don’t know why I did that. I’m-”
“Jungkook,” Jimin said more firmly. “It’s okay. Really. I didn’t mind. You… sounded good.”
“Good?” Jungkook asked confused. And his eyes, how could his eyes hold so many stars inside them?
Slowly, Jimin tugged at his hair again. “Yeah, good. I liked it.”
“Oh.”
They looked at each other and the world faded around them. There was only them, them and the heat brewing between them.
“Do you-” Jimin looked away. He couldn’t just ask him like that. But what else could he say? “I love you, I love you so much. I never want you to forget. Anything that may happen, I’ll still love you.”
“I love you too, you know I do. You are my Jiminie. I would do anything for you.” He bit his bottom lip and Jimin wished he was the one doing it instead. “Did something happen?”
“No, I just wanted you to know,” he said, cupping Jungkook’s face. His skin was the highest quality of silk and satin under his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m so difficult, so… scarred.”
Jungkook’s hand covered his and his gaze was unyielding, it didn’t allow him to look away. “Never apologize for that. Never. You aren’t difficult, you are incredible. You are strong, stronger than I could ever hope to be. Your scars don’t define you. I met you with your scars and I love you with them all the same. I don’t care if I have to be a little more careful or if I have to hold you a little closer sometimes. Just being close to you is all I need.”
There was a stinging behind Jimin’s eyes. “My baby,” he said like a prayer. An invisible thread pulled him closer to Jungkook until only a breath separated them. “Can I kiss you?”
“Kiss me?”
Jimin hated the doubt and the fear in his voice, he grieved that he had been the one to put it there. “I want to, I promise. It’s okay, I talked with Y/N. I’ve been so stupid. I want to kiss you so much, baby.”
“Please. Please, kiss me,” he said, voice breaking.
Their lips came together softly. There was no rush, no harshness, only love and patience. He was warm, warmer than he had ever felt. He was safe in Jungkook’s arms, hidden away in the Castle, in their home. Sweetness coated his lips. He might not deserve this, might be too broken for this but he never wanted to let go.
Two tears rolled down his cheeks. Catharsis.
Jungkook pulled back in panicked haste. “Did I hurt you? Did-”
Jimin let his tears run their course down to his neck in favor of cupping Jungkook’s face. “You could never hurt me. They’re happy tears. I’m very happy.”
The tension in Jungkook’s face eased and Jimin pulled him closer again. As he kissed him, he tasted love and freedom. He tasted of healing.
♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩
The grand piano stood by the glass wall in the living room, polished until the black surface reflected the light like a mirror. It was a thing of beauty, a gem dipped in luxury to decorate a rich household. For Yoongi, it was so much more.
It was a few hours until you would be back home and the sun was setting behind the forest. The lights were off in the living room and it was painted in the red, gold and pink of the sunset. You would be back later than usual, the filming schedule was packed for the day and after that was done you would visit the headquarters of the production company. You had told them to eat dinner without you.
Yoongi’s fingers flew over the black and white keys. He closed his eyes and focused on the music. Each note was a bright light in the darkness behind his eyelids. It was easy to get lost in the music, in the feelings it evoked and in the pictures it weaved.
He heard it when Taehyung arrived. He didn’t speak, gave him space to go away if he wanted or simply listen in silence. The melody grew more tender.
Taehyung didn’t go away, he drew closer. He hesitated before sitting on the bench next to him, leaving a small space between them. The song blended into the next one and the next one until the familiar stiffness spread over Yoongi’s fingers and he stopped.
Outside, the reds and golds had turned into purples and deep blues. Yoongi would have to turn on the lights soon.
“Do you want to try?” Yoongi asked when the silence stretched and Taehyung didn’t seem to find the words he was looking for.
Taehyung looked at the piano in quiet wonder. “Can I?”
He was so young and it made Yoongi furious that some bastards had carved the innocence and joy out of him. He wanted to find the monsters who had done this to him and tear them apart limb by limb.
His long fingers hovered over the keys. “How?”
“Just do whatever feels right.”
Taehyung pressed the keys one by one at first, the faint lines of a smile appearing on his face at every new sound. Progressively he got braver, pressing keys together and creating disjointed melodies.
“Together?” Taehyung asked shyly.
Yoongi couldn’t say no.
Please comment and reblog it motivates me to keep writing
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plutokoo · 9 months
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pairing: yandere idol jungkook x bunny hybrid reader
genre: smut,yandere
A/N : a quick drabble for the bunny hybrid couple. hope you'll like it <3
• yandere idol jungkook who never let's his bunny hybrid got out of his sight and makes her stay close to him at all cost bcs he doesn't like her wandering around and letting people touch what's his
● he would manipulate her slowly everyday,gaslighting her into thinking that the outside world is dangerous and the only safe place is with him at all times
● he would go live and purposely showed her to the camera becausehe likes showing people what's his, and getting the satisfaction of being the only one that can call her his.
● bunny hybrid yn who always listens to what he says bcs if not then he'll bend her over his knees and smack her ass until it turns bright red with her sobbing over his knees rutting her wet cunny against his thighs
● jungkook who loves marking her as his,he'd leave several marks on her as he fingers her ,wet squelching sound surrounds the room his finger going in and out of her wet-dripping hole calling her a pain slut while fat tears dripping down her face begging him to let her cum
● jungkook who'd fuck her hard with his cock thrusting his hips roughly into her pussy while her body jolts ears flopping, eyes rolling back as she clench against him, his dick covered in her juices making a ring everytime she grinds on him
● jungkook who would take her into the company everytime he went there and would fired all the staffs and tarnish idols name if they talked to her and would then fuck her stupid in his studio making her all dumb, mouth open, tongue lolling out as drool drips down the side of her face mumbling his name while his hands covered her throat squeezing it lightly,just enough for her to get dizzy and squirt around his cock until she passes out.
● jungkook who would tell her everyday that she's his and wouldn't hesitate to pull some string to ruin people's live if the ever spoke about his relationship with his bunny. she's his baby after all and no one could come between them.
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sweetainwen · 2 years
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ᴅᴇᴇᴘʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟʟʏ [PJM]
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Summary: there's a bond between them, they both know it, but what she doesn't know is that its roots are deeper and more unconditional than she thinks, and he’s eager for her to feel that.
Pairings: yandere hybrid actor!Jimin x female actress!OC (you can think of her as Y/N)
Genre: 1990!au, hybrid!au, mate!au, yandere!au, smut
Disclaimer: this story is fictional, so each character is not as described in it.
Warnings: obsessive behavior, just a slight sight of blood, unprotected sex (she is on pills), oral (m.), sub!Jimin, non-consensual marking, penetrative sex, lovesick!Jimin, whiny!Jimin, he literally worships her c:
Word count: 2.4k+
A/N: thank you so much for following me and liking my posts! Hope you will like this too, i mean, i tried c:
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Parties weren’t Jimin’s thing. Loud noises, incessant laughter and chattering, alcohol, overcrowding. They caused an excruciating headache, his sensitive fox ears ringing for days, unfortunately prolonging the pain.
This time his mate was there though, and he couldn't help but come to get another glimpse of her.
Given the rarity of the occurrence, it was unlikely for hybrids to face such a situation. Compatibility was almost nil even among the hybrids themselves, nevertheless there were still instances of them finding their mates.
He never thought he would meet someone who would completely flip him out, yet here he was, at a party planned by their director in his huge villa celebrating the successful outcome of the drama in which he and his mate had starred as the main characters.
He knew her only by name, how her acting chops made anything to do with the world of entertainment look good, her respectful and gentle way of communicating her thoughts, and even her beauty.
Kang Eunmi was the best actress with more awards won for her talent in the last years, a gem in the acting career. And Jimin was convinced that her fame would increase in the nineties as well.
He was no less. If Kang Eunmi was all over the news and newspapers, the name Park Jimin was not missing.
His donations, the love he showed for his work as an actor and his fans, the way he connected with people.
Both of their fans wished to see them paired up in some drama or movie, and they too had happily expressed that they would love to be cast together for something. That day came along with an overwhelming twist for Jimin.
Just a whiff of that delectable scent of her was all it took to unhinge his senses, overscenting every other scent in the place. It made its way into his lungs and became air to breathe. Intoxicating him.
A brush of fingers, arms, any part of him against hers would blaze and cause goosebumps all over his body. Craving not to pull away.
Her dulcet voice drawing him in as she flashed her dazzling smile to ensnare him even more, like a siren with a sailor. Her dark eyes finally dragging him into her sorcerous world.
Bewitched he was, willingly bewitched, and it was apparent that she was also attracted to him. She was not hiding her interest.
Longing and fleeting glances were being shared across the room, a small alluring smile tugging at their lips, to elicit any kind of reaction from each other. Attentive not to get caught to keep up their game of seduction.
There was something so beautifully intimate about that brief eye contact that happened clearly but also covertly.
Two lovers speaking only with their eyes.
But when that brief oh so intimate eye contact suffered an intrusion, the cocoon of affinity and attraction that surrounded them would be torn apart.
And it irritated him.
There was always someone interrupting. As co-actor Jung Hoseok was doing now, snatching his partner's attention with words whispered in her ear after approaching her with a smirk he would have loved to wipe off his face before having both of their gazes on him.
The man raised his drink at him with a slight movement of his head and a waggle of his eyebrows. Jimin’s fox ears twitched, returning the gesture with a forced smile.
“I see steam coming out of his ears,” Hoseok giggled and Eunmi followed suit, smacking his chest with the back of her hand.
"Hold this for me," she said, handing him her glass, her eyes still locked with her favorite hybrid. "I'll be back later."
She heard him whistle and she chuckled at it, knowing that a grin was making its way across his face at her intentions as she headed for the stairs to the upper floor,
Eunmi stepped into one of the many guest rooms, lucky to find it unoccupied as she started to kick the black heels off her feet, breathing a sigh of relief.
The door being closed caused her to turn and she saw Jimin leaning against it with his arms crossed and his head tilted slightly to the side, his golden eyes sparkling with jealousy.
“Don't you think you've gotten too much into your character? The drama is over, you don't have to play the jealous part anymore, Mr. Park.” She cocked her head to the side, a teasing smirk spreading across her face.
Jimin hummed, nodding his head, his tongue playing with his inner cheek, and those simple gestures provoked a sudden wave of heat between her legs.
He took a few steps towards her, his hand stretched forward in a tacit request for permission to have hers, which she accepted without faltering, putting her palm on his.
“Can you blame me for that? Spells are hard to break if you don't know the formula well, Ms. Kang,” he whispered one of the lines played by him in their drama before placing his lips on the back of her hand in a lingering kiss, a desire-filled look exchanged between them, tension sensed in the air.
Eunmi tittered, a little alluring giggle that tickled his eardrums, “How flattering.”
Her eyes followed the fingers of her other hand lightly caressing his chest until they reached the hem of his turtleneck and slipped inside, sensing his muscles beneath them and hearing his breath hitch.
One last glance was enough for their lips to meet in a ravenous kiss, his hands gripping her body tight but gently to not hurt her with his hybrid strength as her hands pulled hard at his hair, eliciting a soft moan from him.
He trailed a hand down to the hem of her black short dress to lift it a little bit – tenderly, like touching something precious – and she could feel it sneak into her lace panties, sliding a finger into her and making her shudder.
A low chuckle left his mouth, breaking the kiss, the warmth of his breath hovering over her face as he looked at his finger playing with her folds, “So wet already…” He glanced up at her, “Are you that eager to fuck me?”
It was like a switch being turned off, eyes darkening and pupils dilating.
In an instant, her palms collided with his chest, and Jimin saw himself being pushed backward toward the bed, ending up flat on his back on the mattress, his shoes touching the ground.
“You seem surprised, baby,” she chortled at his astonished being, dropping down to her knees in between his legs, nudging his thighs a bit wider to get as close to the edge of the bed as possible.
That pet name almost made him whine.
Slowly, eyes locked together, she drew her hands up his thighs until her fingers reach the bulge in his pants and pull his hardened cock free from his pants and boxer.
“Oh, fuck!” he grunted, dropping back on the bed and gripping the sheets when she slid her hand up and down his length.
She swiped her thumb over the swollen head, picking up the leaking precum and tracing the tip of her thumb around the tiny opening, before she parted her lips and took him slowly into her mouth.
He shuddered and inhaled sharply when she began to bob her head, her tongue swirling and working him at a painful, slow pace.
She was torturing him, sending him through the ecstatic thrill of the oncoming orgasm with her tongue and moans vibrating against him and then depriving him of it by excruciatingly slowing her rhythm.
He loved it. He loved it so much that it surprised him.
“Oh, please, please-“ He tugged at her hair, his head spinning and  body tensing, desperate for his release.
She pulled off his cock with a pop and he whimpered at another one of his failed relief.
Oh, his pleas were such a turn on, and now, with his half-lidded and pleading eyes glistening with a craving that wanted to be satiated, he was so adorable.
She had not expected to have this Jimin before her, at her mercy, but she loved it.
She flashed him a mischievous grin as she stripped off her dress and tossed it to the side, her bra and panties next, and his breath hitching at the sight of her completely naked.
“What’s the matter, baby? Why that look? Mmh?” she taunted, helping him take off his pants and underwear. “You just found out that you like it when I take charge, didn't you?” She set her legs on the bed, moving forward to straddle him and get rid of his turtleneck. She didn’t get a response and this made her grip his hair, lifting his head to meet his eyes, causing a wail to escape his lips. “Answer me,” she growled, teasing the tip of his cock with her thumb, making him whimper again.
“Yes, yes- I- I- love it so much I-“ he cut himself off with a hitched gasp as she put the head first then let her folds run up and down his length, a sinful moan escaping her lips.
“Don’t worry, I’m on pills.”
She kissed him and he nipped at her lip as he placed one hand on her back to bring her closer while the other cupped one of her breasts, playing with her hard nipple before placing his lips on it and licking it sensually.
She threw her head back, bouncing on him and clenching tight and hot around him, eyes closed and fingers playing with his fox ears, an overwhelming feeling invading their senses.
Jimin looked at her with his eyes half closed, his mind invaded only by the image of her even now.
Her touch on his burning skin, her body heat warming his body as the mere closeness made his heart burst with glee, feeling her in every way.
He felt her fingers slide through his hair, grabbing it and giving him another of her mischievous sneers, their breaths mingling together.
“So hard and ready…” she teased, pulling at his hair even more as she giggled near his ear and this had his eyes rolling at the back of his head. “Are you so eager to fuck me, baby?”
“Yes, yes, yes! I want to fuck you so bad, I- I want to-“
His lips found the skin of her neck, licking it before taking a deep breath of her scent. The same scent that was now awakening his hybrid instincts.
To mark her. Make her his. Make everyone know she was his mate. Make her know she was his.
He growled, pressing his tongue to the crook of her neck and when he sensed they were close, he sank his teeth into her neck.
She let out a scream of pleasure in a blend of pain at the sting she felt, tightening her grip on his hair as he moaned loudly against her neck, their bodies tensing before relaxing against each other, his forehead resting against her shoulder.
When they both came down, Eunmi moved slightly away from him to touch the wounded part, letting out a hiss at the contact. After some liquid found the tips of her fingers, she glanced at what it was, surprised to see blood, her own.
She shifted her attention to Jimin, who just before hearing her hiss was still immersed in that intense moment and now had a pale face and wide eyes, fear filling them.
“Oh, God- I’m- I’m sorry! I’m- I didn’t want to-“ he stammered, his trembling hands seeming to want to touch that spot but pulling back at the very last. His eyes darted from her face to her neck over and over again, panic taking over him. “I’m so sorry! Please, please- It wasn’t-“
“Hey, hey! Look at me!” her voice was gentle while she cupped his face with both hands, noticing his puppy-like eyes filled with unfallen tears. “Breathe, slowly, and tell me what happened.”
He did as told, looking at the two red dots adorning her neck, “I… marked you. I…” he gulped, heart constricting with guilt. “It’s... one whiff of your scent is enough to send me over the edge. My senses are always on high alert. I'm drawn to you and can't tear myself away. Because…” he sighed, “you’re my mate.”
She was caught off guard. It was totally unexpected. She was aware of their chemistry, the sexual tension – shit, she didn’t even know how they hadn’t had sex before for how blatant it was!
But from this to say she was his mate? Her?
She knew that a hybrid was capable of controlling themselves in the presence of their mate, but there was a limit to it and if it was crossed over it was difficult to turn back. The mark strengthened the bond, adding more hardship to it. A hybrid could also go bersek if someone or their mate themselves attempted to break it.
“I didn’t want it to end like this. I wanted to tell you everything first. But maybe I messed up with my jealousy and- I’m sorry- I’m- “ he sobbed and she bit her bottom lip, feeling her heart clench.
How could she hurt him? How could she refuse? He was not his fault. His mate was in front of him, someone that not eveyone of his race had.
She stroked the skin of his cheek with her thumb while the fingers of her other hand gently brushed against one of his ears, a gentle smile forming on her lips, “It’s ok, Jimin. You did nothing wrong.”
“You mean…” he trailed off, unsure if what she wanted to say was what he thought.
Her smile widened, resting her forehead against his after placing her lips on his for a tender kiss, “Yeah, we can make this work.”
Jimin couldn’t believe his ears, which now twitched after hearing her answer, and pulled her in for a tight hug. His tongue ran over the mark to get rid of the trails of blood and soothe the pain caused by the bite and he nestled his face into the nape of her neck, pulse quickening with an euphoric energy.
Eunmi rubbed his back, with him still inside her, not pulling away. Another way of reassuring him.
And this was all he needed, grinning from ear to ear, the tears forgotten.
Their connection was more than just mates, it did not stop at simply becoming one. It was far more than that, they were above that. Deeper and more unconditional than she thought. Like the main characters in their drama.
Being an actor had advantages.
Indeed.
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jwirecs · 7 months
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RECOMMENDED BTS FICS OF SEPTEMBER 2023💖
hello, hello! here are my bts recs of september! hopefully these beautiful stories get more recognition as well as the writers 💝
** anything in parentheses and bolded are my thoughts that can be disregarded if needed **
🔞smut || 💔angst || 💕fluff || ✅completed || 🔄ongoing || 💯favorite
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Head Over Skates || @mercurygguk🔞💔🔄
↳ in which jeon jungkook is the captain of the hockey team and one of the biggest fuckboys on campus. you hate his guts and he knows it – that's why he's more than determined to make the most of three weeks of project work. you're convinced it's going to be the end of you.
My Heart Did || @aseaofyoongi🔞💔✅
↳ as soon as senior years comes to an end a lot of teens shed who we were and strive to be flourish into a more polished version of themselves. although, broken hearts aren’t so quick to heal what happens when thoughts reveal all we need to know?
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Bad Idea || @back2bluesidex🔞💕✅
↳ Accepting Jungkook's invitation to watch him train topless was such a bad idea.
Don't Tell Me That... You Forgot || @sweetiestokkie💕✅
↳ (short summary that i have come up with since there wasnt one, but oc plans a secret birthday for jk. so we have a lil ol angy jjk.)
Just The Tip? || @joon4eva🔞💕✅
↳ you and namjoon are left alone together for a little too long. or: in your childhood home, you learn just how much is really "just the tip" with namjoon.
My Flower || @i-am-baechu💕✅💯
↳ Men don’t get enough flowers. That’s why whenever it’s Namjoon’s birthday, Y/N always sends flowers (someone please get me a boo so that i can give them flowers.)
Socks || @hisunshiine💕✅
↳ (theres no summary but if we talking about socks, his god dam toe socks lives in my mind rent free and i need it to start paying rent.)
Take Care Of You || @kookslastbutton🔞💕💔✅💯💯
↳ To keep your fiance from burning out you suggest a weekend getaway to Gapyeong, a charming town about an hour outside Seoul. You've specifically asked him to leave his work equipment at home but like a deep rooted habit, he still brings it with him. You're left with no choice but to find a way to get his attention back.
When I Say Forever || @kookslastbutton🔞💕✅💯
↳ Today’s your wedding day and the slightly shy yet handsome, doe-eyed stranger who chased after you when you dropped your wallet on the street three years ago just happens to be the man standing before you today.
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7 Hybrids Moved In With Me || @lillsisamarshmallow💕💔🔄
↳ When the dog hybrid who visits her bakery starts taking extra food Y/N follows it through the alleys to find out why, but what happens when she stumbles upon an empty alley only to find 6 more hybrids and some very familiar pastries?
Entangled || @caelesjjk🔞✅💯
↳ Jeon Jungkook is Spider-Man.
Hold Me Together || @casuallyimagining💕🔄💯
↳ a collection of drabbles and headcanons featuring seokjin, yoongi, and namjoon and their significant others.... all of whom have chronic illnesses. each piece can be read on its own or as part of a series.
Leaked || @btsficsandsuch💕💔✅
↳ Req by OP's Followers: Hi ,I love your writing so much . Can I request a ot7 × platonic fem reader where they became friends accidentally and she is also their fan but something happens like a misunderstanding of sorts and she is blamed or something then when the truth comes out they ask for her forgiveness but don't make her forgive them easily also include an accident in between story if you can. Sorry if it's too confusing .have a good day
Stars Around My Scars || @vanteggukie💕💔🔄
↳ people are not always what they seem. you learned that the hard way, when you caught your boyfriend cheating, the night that was supposed to be one of the best ones you ever experienced. but on the same night you also learned that in everything bad, there’s always a little bit of good.
Rainy Days || @rklve🔞💕💔✅💯💯
↳ your life choices left not only yours, but jungkook's heart broken in peaces. now you're back in town, and just like pluto, even if it's cold and dark, he tends to orbit around his sun forever.
Taste Of His Own Medicine || @btsficsandsuch💔✅💯
↳ You suddenly have to leave to go back to your home country for a few months. Yoongi decides to ignore you so you decide to show him how it feels when he realizes you’re gone.
The Back Up Plan || @btsgotjams27💕✅💯
↳ one drunken night leads to an agreement that if you and jungkook are still single by 30, you'd marry each other. the only thing is jungkook has been doing everything he can to keep you single.
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Aphrodite In War || @jungblue🔞💕💔🔄
↳ Everyone knew about the war that had been brewing on the edge of campus for the past two years. Sorority versus Fraternity; a showdown for the ages. However, when the escalating antics between them yields the consequence of possible suspensions for both chapters, the presidents of each house must come together to try and figure out how to end this battle… Which is kind of hard, considering they were the ones responsible for it in the first place.
Basic Needs || @gggukniverse🔞✅💯
↳ missing sex while being stuck in your apartment with your two roommates during quarantine is being the worst nightmare you could've imagined. fortunately, you're not the only one who's touch starved.
Safety Net || @pradaksj🔞💕💔✅
↳ on new year’s eve, you and jungkook reflect on each other’s entire year together. 
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Heart-On || @junghelioseok🔞✅💯💯
↳ your one-night stand definitely isn’t relationship material, but maybe—just maybe—your manager’s son is. (this is part of their serendipity series, make note that its not connected. do check out their jjk fic thats part of this series!!)
Territorial || @bonny-kookoo🔞💕🔄
↳ Who would've known that the big bad wolf isn't actually all that bad?
Do check out all of the other BTS Fics that i have reblogged as well!!
** if there is any fics that you guys would like to recommend, please do! i am slowly running out of fics to read **
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Loved By Seven | Chapter 4
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Genre: Hybrid!AU, Poly!AU, Mate!AU, romance, fluff
Pairing: OT7 x Reader
Characters: Human!Reader, Peacock!Seokjin, Serpent!Yoongi, Hawk!Hoseok, White Tiger!Namjoon, Merman!Jimin, Leopard!Taehyung, Wolf!Jungkook
Summary: Hiking was just an activity to get you out of the apartment, the last thing you imagined was ending in a whole different world by touching a jewel. That not being enough you end up meeting seven hybrids, and they all claim you shared the Connection with each of them making you their partner for life.
Notes: Hi! After I posted the third chapter I noticed I have more than 200 followers!!! I truly can't believe it, thank you so much!!! And I decided to write this chapter as fast as I could for a 100 followers celebration, which means the fifth chapter will be a 200 followers celebration along with a one shot from my masterlist. I'm so grateful for the people who keep reading this series and for the new ones who are giving me the opportunity to give them something to read. Likes, reblogs, comments are always appreciated. English is not my first language so pardon me if anything is misspelled or grammatically incorrect. Also the main idea came from a webtoon but I can’t remember it’s name. Enjoy!
Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Support me?
Closing the door behind him a very happy leopard stops in front of the elevator to call, once inside he marks the parking lot. Which car should I drive today? Well I'm already late, I should take the smaller one he walks and picks up one of the two pair of keys dangling from his parking space I can't wait to take Beautiful out, just the two of us a boxy smile breaks through with this thought and gets in the car After this shoot I'm gonna pretend to be sick and get back to her quickly.
Thanking to the people who picked up the place for the photoshoot, since it was near the building he lives in, he exists the car and jogs a little bit to meet with his manager, a dog hybrid, waiting for him at the entrance, "Tae, I know you're a really big name in this industry, and thanks to me may I add" Jaehyun says with a silly smile and walking where there was already a lot of people waiting for Taehyung "but you can't be this late to a shoot man" this time is a frown what accompanies his words. "I know hyung, I'm sorry, you know I don't like to waste people's time but something happened yesterday and my phone died so the alarm didn't ring and I had to make breakfast but didn't have groceries so everything was a bit chaotic".
Once they're in front of the crew, Taehyung says out loud "I'm sorry everybody, I didn't mean to be this late" "It's okay, I mean you're THE Kim Taehyung you can be as late as you want" says a young leopard hybrid coming way to closer for his liking, like she almost wanted to touch him, so he takes a step back "I'm sorry Director, it won't happen again" he says bowing at her, which makes the girl blush "Um, Tae, she's no…" Jaehyun stars but gets interrupted "She's not the director Taehyung, it's me, she works with the make-up department" a slighter older fox hybrid walks towards Jaehyun and him "Oh, I'm sorry for being late Sir" he bows again, but this time at the right person "I know you're a big name but it can't happen again while we do this campaign" "It won't I swear" Taehyung says with his anima ears twitching nervously and his human ears red from embarrassment, at this the Director chuckles "It's okay, go get changed and then go to make-up while we set up things to start the shoot" he points at a girl who raises her hand She must be from the costume's department thus Taehyung walks behind her until they get to the dressing room.
"Hi Mr. Kim, I'm Danny and I'll be helping you during this campaign with what you'll be wearing" "Thank you Danny, and you can call me Taehyung, Mr. Kim sounds way to formal for my liking" he smiles gently at her Wow he is even more handsome in person and the rumor of him being a sweetheart are true, thank you universe for already having a partner otherwise I would probably be acting like the girl from make-up "Sure thing Taehyung" she says with red cheeks "These are the clothes you're gonna be wearing for this particular shoot" Danny shows him the main show of the shoot, a pair of underwear, with a pair of jeans and a jacket, both in denim "Okay" the leopard goes behind a curtain to change himself "If you need anything, I'm here" Danny says in a more professional tone "I actually have a question" he says while taking off his shirt "Sure, is anything not your size?" "No, it's not about the clothes or the shoot" "Oh" she says more relaxed "Sure" You're human right? I mean I didn't smell anything particular from you, except a faint smell of giraffe" he rushes his explanation in fear of offending her while almost falling from taking off his pants, she chuckles at this "Yes, I'm human and the scent you're smelling is my partner, it's faint because he's away on business, may I ask why are you asking this?" "It's just that I found my partner and she's also human and I wanted to know how can I court without scaring her, both my parents are hybrids so I don't know if I should do something different" a fondly smile forms on his lips by the mere thought of you "Well" she laughs a little "Andy was very forward, we crossed paths at a coffee shop and as I was exiting he screamed Wait! I think you're my partner to the entire shop and I genuinely thought that wasn't directed to me so I just walked out but he followed me and tapped my shoulder and told me the thing he just screamed was aimed at me, so we sat and started talking. I think everyone in this world knows they're destined to someone therefore you shouldn't be afraid of scaring" she finishes at the same time he pushes the curtain already changed That's the thing, I don't think she knows about the Connection which is so weird but he doesn't let his thoughts reflect on his face, instead he smiles at Danny "Thank you, you were very helpful" "Okay, let me see you" she turns on her job face "Please turn around" she hums looking for something that may stand out in the wrong way "I think you look great, the jacket is not too big, the boxers are up enough to see the brand but your abs can also be seen, and the jeans make your thighs look great, and this denim makes you ears stand out in very nice way. You're ready to go to make-up Taehyung" she smiles at him "Thank you Danny" he waves at her, exiting the dressing room.
"Hi handsome" someone says as soon as he exits, scaring him a little. Turning to look at the person who startled him, he finds the same leopard girl he thought was the director "Hey Taehyung, I was just coming to get you to take you to make-up" Jaehyun approaches but stops when spotting the girl "What are you doing here?" he asks "I'm here to pick him up" "The director told you to wait by your room, thus I'm asking again, what are you doing here?" "I'm just trying to show initiative, that's all" she answers with a fake sweet smile "Let's just go, yeah? We're already behind schedule because of me I don't want to keep delaying everything" Taehyung intervenes. "Yeah, you're right Tae…Lady, please take us to the make-up room" Taehyung puts himself between the wall and Jaehyun, just to be safe from the girl, watching this the girl frowns because she wants to be next to him Especially if he's wearing something so tempting. The three get to the room full of make-up suitcases "Okay, we're already you can leave now" she smirks at Jaehyun "You know make-up artists have to be alone to do the job quickly and without errors" Jaehyun growls a little bit at her but knows he can't do anything because she's right "Tae, call me if you need anything" he looks at the male leopard like saying If this crazy girl throws herself at you call me at which Taehyung only nods, and Jaehyun takes his leave.
"Okay Tae, you can sit here" she purrs the words in an attempt to sound sexy "Please don't call me Tae, only people close to me can call me that" Taehyung says in a deeper and strained tone of voice, one he uses when he's not comfortable or mad, dreading being with her and sitting in front of her "Then we can get closer, don't you think?" she trails one of her fingers up his right arm, trying to reach his exposed chest, however a male hand stops her intention "Look I really don't want to say anything to the director about your inappropriate behavior but if you continue I'm not going to have another choice but to talk to him" at this point his chest was vibrating to let out a growl, but he contained himself. Watching his face she felt a little scared but that didn't deterred her purpose This man is going to be mine, he just doesn't know it yet. I mean, we're both leopards, we obviously belong to each other. I have to be more forward with that in mind she sits in his lap, wrap her arms around his neck and brings her face closer to his, watching how her prey open his eyes wide Oh he looks so cute, and he's gonna be mine "Come on Tae, I know you don't have a partner and look at me, we would be incredible together, you're hot I'm hot, we're both leopards, and I'm just feeling this electricity between us, it's incredible" with each word her voice goes lower and her face closer I can't just toss her, it could hurt her and it would make a mess.
"Lia, what are you doing on top of Taehyung?!" A woman's voice wakes up Taehyung from his shock and stands up, trying not to toss the girl with too much force, and turns to find a familiar face "Mrs. Choi?" "Mom! What are you doing here?!" the girl screams at the woman Is she the daughter of one of the best make-up artists? Taehyung thinks "No, the one who asks questions is me. Now, what were you doing on top of him?" "Mom, we're part-" "She sat on top of me! Started touching me and saying crazy things! And we're definitely not partners, I already have one and she's at home!" it's not his intention to almost scream but that's how it comes out, he wants to be clear with anyone who's listening that he already has a partner, a very beautiful partner What? He has a partner? Well, it doesn't matter he's not marked yet which means anything can happen the other leopard in the room thinks "Oh my God Lia, I told you that if you wanted to come with me you had to behave and why was the door closed, you know that until the senior enters the apprentice can't close the door" Mrs. Choi says "Are you the one who's going to do my make-up?" Taehyung says with a hopeful tone, and he's so relieved even his ears stand up in relaxation "Yes, darling. And I'm so sorry for my daughter" hearing her mother say that Lia crosses her arms in frustration If you hadn't enter mom I could've kissed him "Now let's do your make-up quickly Taehyung, after all this isn't the first time we work together" and it's true for most of his shoots Mrs. Choi has been the one does his make-up so, by now, the know what works the best. After 15 minutes Mrs. Choi is finishing his make-up, she really wanted to finish fast after all her daughter couldn't stop looking at Taehyung and trying to touch at very chance she could get, and the boy's obviously very uncomfortable; "There, all done" she says applying a thin layer of gloss to make his lips stand a little bit, Taehyung looks at himself in the mirror in front of him "Thanks Mrs. Choi, as always your work is impeccable" the woman smiles at him "My pleasure Taehyung, will be seeing each other because of this campaign so we'll see each other soon" Taehyung stands up and exits the room listening to something along the lines of "Let's go home young lady, we need to talk about boundaries at a work place" "But m-".
"Tae, you're finally out" Jaehyun starts asking as soon as he sees Taehyung "What happened? Did that girl do something? You know what? Where's the director, he needs to know this" "Hyung, hyung!" Taehyung almost screams but at least gest Jaehyun's attention "She's Mrs. Choi's daughter, apparently wanted to learn about this world" "Mrs. Choi's daughter? But she's so ahhh" Jaehyun makes angelic noise "and that girl was so oohhh" Jaehyun makes scary noises now, which makes Taehyung laugh out loud. Hearing a deep laugh the director approaches the two young men "Taehyung, did you finish? Are you ready?" "Yes Sir" Taehyung immediately stops laughing and transforms it into a serious face "Okay, please put yourself in front of the camera" the older male chuckles softly at the nervousness of the young leopard.
Modeling comes easy for Taehyung since he was recruited at 16 years old people has praised his good looks and how natural he's in front of a camera, however he started his official career at 20 years old and he's been doing it for 5 years now. It pays the bills and lets him have a certain commodity, and now that he found you he knows he can also provide for you as well. Being in front of the camera makes Taehyung sometimes feel weird or even shy depending on the type of shoot he's doing but once he switches on his modeling talent he can only focus on what pose to next so it can come as natural as possible, something many directors like when working with him is that the leopard almost never need directions he knows which are his best poses, his best faces and most importantly knows how to use his body, which angles show, in this case, the clothes better and how can his animal features add to the mix, play with his tail or hide his ears to show something.
Because of how good he is at his job the shoots ends on time, despite Taehyung being late, and now was time to go home There's no way I'm gonna keep working when it's almost noon and Beautiful doesn't have anything to eat "Hey hyung, I'm not feeling well, I think being with that girl really disturbed me, besides I think I ate something that's bloating me. I think I should go home, tell the other shoots we can double the time when we reschedule or the can pay me less" Jaehyun couldn't say anything because Taehyung starts running to the dressing room "Hi Danny" and changes his clothes in a flash "Bye Danny", the leopard runs again and encounter the Director "Great job Director, thank you for everything, have a nice day, I look forward to the next shoot I swear I'll be on time" he bows and runs again towards his car not even paying attention to the "Taehyung's" Jaehyun is screaming.
Once inside his car he makes a plan First I need to buy her a phone, hers is obviously so old it doesn't work anymore, I have to buy one for Jiwoo too because I know how important she's to Beautiful. Second, the both need clothes just a few and the we can go together to buy more. Finally, groceries for the three of us. Parking at the mall, Taehyung goes straight to a store where he can buy the phones, for his Beautiful he buys the same one he has but pink because he saw that many of her things had that color It suits her that color he smiles at the thought, and for Jiwoo he buys same model but white. Outside of the store he looks at the watch on his wrist Damn it, there's not a lot of time adding something more to the list he goes to the food court and approaches to a Italian restaurant and orders 3 lasagnas to take, and while they're making them Taehyung goes to a store for clothes as soon as he sees a clerk similar to your body type he asks her to pick six shirts, two pair of jeans, and 4 pair of shorts It's getting hotter these days with summer approaching, he pays and goes to another store for the underwear where he basically does the same but this time with a very red face and animal ears glued to his head from embarrassment, in this store he pays even faster. He has to accept he must look like a mad man running from one place to another with a lot of bags; he gets to the restaurant and picks up what is gonna be lunch. Running again he sees his car closer and closer, he puts the lasagnas in the front seat and the rest of the bags on the back seat, once inside he takes route to the nearest supermarket around his building.
Getting off the car after parking, he takes a supermarket cart an starts going through the aisles to pick up and put inside the cart the food of his choice I just hope they like what I'm choosing, but I can always bring them with me if she wishes something else. With the supermarket already seen he approaches the cashier and pays and pack everything as fast  as he can, looking at his watch once more he notices it's noon Okay I'm close just have to hurry up a little bit he tries to run with difficulty from the heavy grocery bags. This time he puts the bags on the trunk and gets up inside to start driving to the destination he wants to arrive the most Home.
Finally seeing his building he presses the gas a little bit more, once inside the parking lot, he parks next to his other car and takes out all of the boxes that despite being heavy he can carry all of them thanks to the gym and his leopard genes. He walks towards the elevator and calls it, it doesn't take long and it opens its door and he walks inside. Marking the 10th floor, he's almost buzzing with excitement, his tail is wiggling behind him in a happy manner. The elevator chimes and announces it arrived at its destination opening its doors. The leopard exists and runs for his apartment, in front of the door he opens it Finally. "I'm home"
Chapter 5
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What if... the CEOs were Hybrids? part two | BTS OT7 au
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This chapter was made possible by @oknymz / @shadowofahope 💜💜💜💜 five minutes to spare, I made the deadline 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 11K words
Trigger warnings: swearing, possessive/obsessive behaviour, mentions of violence, alcohol, usual hybrid trope things
Prev / Next
Playlist : Dandelions - Ruth B, Can’t Help Falling in Love - Kina Grannis
Hybrids: KNJ - Wolf, KSJ - Bear, MYG - Panther, JHS - Lion, PJM - Arctic fox, KTH - Tiger, JJK - Bunny.
“They’re behind here I’m telling you,” Yoongi growls, staring a hole in the door to supply closet b, the only room that was locked.
They had been running around like fools in search of you, almost becoming feral with desperation.
Hoseok knocks on the door lightly, the taps not matching the fire in his eyes or the way his nostrils flared. It was faint, but your smell was here.
They hear the lock click, the door opening to reveal a smug sleepy Jungkook at the door, but that’s not what their gaze focuses on. There you are on the floor in Taehyung’s lap, sleeping in his arms. Jimin was asleep in hybrid form on your thigh, his little foxy face smushed against you. The tiger hybrid asleep with his back against the wall, holding on to you.
It’s a soft sight, it even melted their anger a smidge, having to force their jaws to remain clenched.
“Bunny was really tired,” Jungkook yawns. “She couldn’t sleep last night.”
“You three are dead,” Yoongi’s throat rumbles, his voice low not to reach your ears, but it reaches Jimin and Taehyung, their ears twitching to the sound, the threat rousing them from their slumber. 
Jungkook’s instincts want him to fight or flight, but he stands his ground.
“We kept her away from the other employees, and we kept her safe,” Jungkook bites back, doe eyes turning stern as he lectures his hyung, a predator hybrid. “We didn’t take advantage of her, what’s the problem?”
Hoseok scoffs in disbelief, his tail agitated behind him, he doesn’t miss the accusation in the bunny’s tone. They weren’t going to be disrespected for making what they thought was the best decision, even if what Jungkook was hinting at held any weight. 
“Ya locking her in a store room with three hormonal hybrids isn’t taking advantage of her?” Jin half whispers, half yells, eyes wide with exasperation, the sight would be hilarious under different circumstances. 
“It's better than locking her in an office with four feral predators,” Jungkook seethes, eyes narrowing. The hypocrisy was unreal, he could smell the lingering scent of their horniness, even though it was masked by the desperation and fear their mate had disappeared.  
“Ya Namjoon why aren't you saying any-” Jin’s voice gets caught in his throat as they all turn to the lead CEO. The wolf had his eyes dead set on the scene, his eyes blank of emotion, the sight has them all tensing, having seen this look before. 
“Namjoon,” Yoongi calls for him delicately, trying to reach into the hole of thoughts he knew the wolf was burying himself in and pull him out. 
Something snaps in him, his cheeks sucked in as a breath of angry air exhales from his nostrils. The tension can be felt heavily in the air, masked previously by their own emotions. Taehyung and Jimin, now fully awake by the sixth sense of an approaching storm, watch their alpha with fear creeping into their veins. The tiger holds you closer, ready to protect you from the oncoming danger, although in his sound mind he knows he’s going to be on the receiving end.
“Wake her up,” Namjoon’s voice is heavy, the command low and guttural, and each of their backs straighten to attention. “Seokjin hyung take her home, you three, in my office. Now.”
Any correction of ‘their’ office died in their throats as the wolf hybrid stormed away. They all release a breath they didn’t know they were holding, trying to downplay the goosebumps that made them shudder at the energy he left in his wake. 
“Like I said,” Yoongi gulped, recovering from the menacing aura, trying to return to his stern demeanour, “you three are dead.”
The three of them stood with their heads low in submission in front of Namjoon’s desk, his eyes boring into them with so much heat they could feel themselves start to sweat. Hoseok and Yoongi were listening from outside, not willing to admit they were too afraid to go in. 
“Did you tell her?” The deathly tone of his voice made them want to run, but they were frozen by the red eyes of their alpha.
“N-no we didn’t,” Jimin stuttered, knowing he needed to answer out of respect.
“She wondered why we were all scenting her, but she didn’t figure it out,” Jungkook explains, his little tail quivering behind him.
“Jungkook covered it,” Taehyung says, trying to placate the angry alpha.
“What did you tell her?” He stares down the bunny hybrid like the barrel of a gun ready to fire.
“I told her she was part of the pack,” Jungkook gulped. “Our hybrids recognised her as a packmate even though she’s human. That’s all.”
Namjoon nods, pacing behind his desk in thought. They were going to choke from the pheromones in the room. The wolf hybrid was emitting heavy miasmatic rage and the maknaes' knees were seconds away from giving out from the weight. 
“She fell asleep in our arms Hyung,” Jungkook admits quietly against his better judgement, knowing that the lead CEO was in no state of mind to listen to reason but he still had to try, “that means she trusts us, she feels something for us.”
“She's human!” He seethes back, making Taehyung jump, “it means she was tired.”
They can’t find their voices to argue, letting the room fall back to that poisonous state of silence as they awaited the Alpha’s punishment of choice.
“The three of you are suspended for a week.”
The shock hit them like a slap, they were expecting a bigger workload, something that meant they couldn’t see you as much, not this. Not being able to see you at all, for a whole week?
“Hyung-”
“Argue with me and I’ll make it two.”
His foot was down and not budging an inch, they could see it in the way his jaw was set. As much as they wanted to complain they swallowed it down, a week without you was torment enough, they wouldn’t be able to handle two.
The air in the car is stifling… Jin was oblivious to it, or so you thought but it was obvious with the way your entire body was running like you had a fever from the embarrassment of waking up to six of your bosses staring at you! While you were in the arms of one of them! You couldn’t control the impulse, you buried your head in your hands and groaned. There were ice caps in the arctic melting because of the heat from your cheeks alone! 
Jin tries not to, but he chuckles at your actions, trying to look nonchalant as he drives but you hear his little breaths of laughter, whining into your palms. 
“If I call in sick tomorrow will you cover for me?” You ask the bear hybrid, your hands coming away from your face as you stare at him seriously. He was already having such trouble stifling his laughter, but the look on your face as you tried to conspire with him made him burst. 
“Jin it's not funny,” you grumble, pouting over your predicament. 
“Honey you don’t have to be embarrassed,” he says fondly, smiling as he steers onto your road. 
Your stupid heart flutters at the term of endearment he introduced today, you couldn’t help thinking it sounded like you were a couple. As quickly as your heart swelled, it sank. You were just an employee, how many times did you have to tell yourself that?
You cough weakly into your hand, his eyes snap to you as if you’d grown a third head.
“Oh no,” you say dramatically, obviously faking, the back of your hand placed delicately to your forehead for good measure. “I must be coming down with something *cough* maybe I won’t be able to make it into work tomorrow.”
Jin sighs, for a second he believed you, the worry in his chest had his senses set to panic. You frown when he doesn’t smile at your joke, not a hint of it left from earlier, instead he's releasing a breath as if he had been holding onto it.
“Beautiful girl,” he sighs, his tone slightly berating you. “Don’t ever joke about things like that.”
After a day like today, with their mate smelling the way she did, the need to take you home, look after you, shower you with love, protect you from everything in their nest was overwhelming. Fear ran riot inside of them when you were ‘missing’, it was the worst prank those maknaes could play on them, and now a joke from your own lips about your health made his hybrid feel a sadness he couldn’t quite explain. It was mixed with the essence of failure, like if you got unwell, it would be his fault. 
“Jin?” You call him out of his thoughts, his eyes swim with so much emotion as he looks at you, really looks at you. Your frown melts into surprise, not expecting to be attacked with that expression on his face. “Umm… Thanks for the ride.”
You try to smile but it's a nervous sight, you know he can hear your heart pounding, and you needed to save yourself from some embarrassment today at least. 
“You really didn’t have to…” You open the car door, ready to make your escape. You wished you fought back harder, but he was adamant about dropping you home, the hell was he going to risk any hybrid on the streets smelling you. 
“See you tomorrow Y/n,” he says when you step out of the car. The corner of his lips turn upward in an attempt to return your smile, but it doesn’t reach the sorrow in his eyes. You normally hate when they refer to you by name, they only did so when others were around, or when you were in trouble, but this didn’t feel like that. He said your name with so much weight you couldn’t understand it, only staring at him again in shock. 
You recover a moment later, brows furrowing in thought as you close the door. He watches you enter your apartment building, leaning onto the passenger side of the car to watch the light come on in your complex. You were home, you were safe, he felt himself breathe a little in relief. 
You weren’t theirs. The thought had been repeating itself in his head since you called his name minutes ago. As much as they loved you, wanted you, the facts were irrefutable. You weren’t theirs. He sighs deeply before pulling away, a silent drive back to their mansion to dwell on his thoughts. 
There was a weight pulling you down in the office this morning. Your thoughts evidently elsewhere, that was clear to see on your face. Every few seconds you would catch yourself drifting before trying to shake yourself out of it, trying to focus on your work but you couldn’t. The guilt was eating you alive. 
“Kim depyunim looks as pissed today as he did yesterday,” you can hear one of your co-workers gossiping. 
“Wonder what's got him so stressed out?”
You could haphazard a guess. You fight down the groan that makes its way up your throat. Maybe he thinks you’re trying to seduce them, after yesterday's scene, you’re so sure you’ve disappointed him. He wasn’t there when you woke up, he must’ve walked off fuming at the sight of you cuddling up to his packmates. But then… Jungkook said they saw you as one of the pack so why… unless, you hadn’t been accepted by their alpha yet, and now you’re sure you won’t. You fucked up, you fucked up so bad by taking their friendship for granted, they were your employers, why did you forget that fact so easily?
“Earth to Y/n,” Yeri waves her hand in front of you face, the turtle hybrid had been talking to you for the last minute only to realise you had been spaced out.
“Huh- Oh sorry, what were you saying?” 
She frowns at you, handing you the file for today's meeting while wondering what was going on with you. The second the file is in your hands your heart sinks, you hadn’t forgotten about it, oh no, quite the opposite. The entire evening you were thinking about it, the fact you would have to face your bosses at this meeting after yesterday's events. 
It plagued you so bad it gave you nightmares, every hour you woke up after scenes of Namjoon yelling at you, or Yoongi refusing to speak to you. Hobi didn’t even look at you even though you begged him to with tears in your eyes. You know they were only dreams, they weren’t real, and yet they felt so believable that even now when you were awake you held some sorrow over them, as if they really did happen. 
“Are you okay running the meeting, you don’t look great…” she comments, braced for you to faint or something. 
Here it was, an opportunity for someone to take over, for you to run home and hide. But as much as you were terrified of their reaction to you, you worked so hard preparing for this meeting, your team was relying on you, and so were the CEOs. You had to deliver it, you had to show them you were worth working here. And plus, you fixed the problem anyway…
Yeri watches your face fall into a despondent state, were you okay? It was almost as if you were in mourning or something, and she felt too awkward to ask any further questions. What was wrong with you?
You only nod in reply, walking away from her in thought as you make your way to the meeting room. As always you were thirty minutes early, the room was empty as it normally was. You weren’t as efficient as you normally would be, your pace slow as you organised your material, set the room up to your liking. You didn’t even acknowledge when your colleagues made their way in and sat in their designated seats, but you felt it when they did. You back went up, a sixth sense you couldn’t explain when Namjoon stepped through the door, followed by 3 other CEOs. You didn’t make eye contact, you didn’t turn their way or greet them when your coworkers stood and bowed, you pretended as if you didn’t know they were here. But you knew they could hear your heart running like it needed to escape, your heavier breathing as you tried to calm down. 
Yoongi can smell the anxiety, your back was to them as you sorted out the computer and projector, but he could see how tense you were. He glances at their company founder, who almost glared at you before swallowing down whatever thoughts he was having, pretending you didn’t exist. Sometimes the other CEOs wanted to get a chisel and hammer, and crack open that skull and see what the hell was going on in that head of his. 
The lights dim before the presentation begins. You’re grateful for the darkness, thinking it would hide their faces from you, but when you turn around you realise it only enhances their intimidating demeanour. You felt like prey in the middle of a hunt, their eyes glistened in the low lights, and you knew they could see you better than you could them. The thought has a flood of vulnerability rush through your spine and chest, only increasing your growing anxiety like a tsunami. You take a deep breath before you begin. 
Hobi’s gaze doesn’t miss the way your hands were shaking as you grip onto your notes for the meeting, the way you cleared your throat before you spoke. Under normal circumstances your presentations were captivating, you held the room, but today you didn’t even smile. All he wanted to do was wrap you protectively in his arms, rewind to yesterday when you were enjoying each other's company.
He sighs, Jin and Yoongi glancing at him briefly inquisitively, but of course they knew the thoughts that plagued Hoseok’s mind. They knew the maknaes weren’t being malicious in their revenge plot, they would never have ill intentions towards your wellbeing. The hyungs knew the youngest three were making a valid point in their demonstration yesterday, but the problem was they never thought it through, they never thought of or understood the consequences, the fallout, the way the older CEOs did. They could already feel your distance as you questioned yesterday’s events, your little brain working on overdrive, analysing everything.
Part of the lion hybrid wished Namjoon didn’t ban the cubs from the building during their suspension, they were so much better at keeping you close. He’s so deep in his thoughts, so busy absentmindedly watching your every move that he misses most of the meeting agenda, looking blank when the lights turn on and everyone’s eyes turn to the CEOs in the room. Thankfully Namjoon takes over.
“Good presentation Miss L/n,” he doesn’t look your way when he speaks, and it cuts you, you hated empty praise, you hated it when he used your last name, even in front of everyone. “I want team B to follow up on revenue, team A can hand over the files.”
“Well done for laying down the foundation for this contract team A,” Yoongi agrees, his eyes on you only, the praise directed at you even he said it to your whole group. 
“Y/n you’ve got the best deal again,” Jin says fondly, smiling at you, hoping you’d return it. You bow politely at them instead as people gather their papers, ready to leave. The CEOs try to hang back, knowing you would clear your notes and linger behind to do so without distraction. Hoseok reads the material of what he missed, Yoongi pretends to small talk with Jin while they keep glancing your way. Namjoon answered questions from the floor managers, actually wanting to escape quickly but he was stuck listening to this imbecile. 
“Should we stay late tonight to go over the material for the handover?” Alex asks you with a grin. Four pairs of ears instinctively lock onto the conversation, even the wolf’s. 
“I can’t, sorry, I have a date,” you say bluntly, loud enough for them to hear, a tight lipped smile on your face. The hybrids reel back with shock, like you were intentionally trying to hurt them, but how could you? You didn’t know how they felt. 
The whole meeting you could feel their gazes on you, more than just listening to the meeting. Their eyes had been interrogating, or it felt like it at least, so you said it to quell any ill intentions they might think you have, that you were another one of those employees who were desperate to seduce them. The second the words were out you regretted everything; saying yes to that stupid blind date, coming to work at all, and everything that happened yesterday. 
“Excuse me,” you can’t even force a smile as you exit, your heart pounding in your chest when you feel their eyes pierce you, unable to handle it. 
“A date? A fucking date!” Yoongi uncharacteristically yells at the other three in the office, Hoseok and Jin leaning on the walls behind their respective desks, both appearing despondent staring at the floor, Namjoon pretending to read the files in front of him, ignoring them. “How can she go on a date when yesterday we-”
He sighs exasperated as his fingers comb through his hair in frustration, one hand on his hip as he shakes his head. Yoongi never raises his voice like this. He got angry yes, but his rage was always cool and calm, unless of course it regarded you. How could you flaunt this in front of them when yesterday you were bonding, scenting, SLEEPING with them? Why were humans so dense? He was so sure deep inside of himself you returned their feelings, but now, he was losing hope you did at all. 
“Namjoon stop pretending to read we can smell the burning pot you’re trying to put a lid on,” Seokjin reprimands him, trying to contain his own fury at the CEO, partly blaming him for your sudden interest in dating. In all the years they’ve known you, not once have you been with someone else, they would have smelt it on you if you had, so why now? Why were you pushing them away after yesterday? As much as they wanted to pry open Namjoon’s skull, he wanted to read your mind more.
“It's her choice to-”
“She doesn’t know we’re an option because you wouldn’t let us court her,” Yoongi spits, tail agitated behind him as his pupils almost turn into slits. 
The wolf hybrid has to force his jaw shut to not bear his teeth at his packmate's aggression, his eyes glinting red as they stare the panther hybrid down.
Hoseok scoffs at their behaviour, at the situation.
“Good thing the maknaes aren’t here,” he thinks out loud. They would have lost it, plotted some game or plan to stop you, but maybe that was what they needed. As diabolical as it sounded, every bone in his body wanted to stop you. “Should we tell them?”
“It’s none of their business,” Namjoon snaps, his nose flaring. “It’s none of our business, she’s our employee, she’s allowed to date whoever she wants. Her private life is just that, we don’t get involved.”
He stares each of them down, the pot reaching boiling point. Each of them deflate into submission, even Yoongi, his shoulders sinking, his gaze falling to the floor. Their alpha’s pheromones were strong in presenting his wrath, but it couldn’t hide the scent of misery and ache.  
Yoongi walks up to his desk, his head still bowed but the adrenaline in Namjoon’s system still had his back up as he watched the panther wearily. His best friend can barely look him in the eye, not out of respect for their pack leader, but because for the first time in his life, their alpha let them down. Namjoon swallows down his own sorrow, his own regret that’s caused this rift between them. 
“Our mate is going to let another man court her,” Yoongi explains solemnly so every word is heard and understood. “Another person is going to put their hands on her, we’re going to smell him on her. Why are you pretending that's okay?
You love her just as much as I do.”
He doesn’t wait for a response, storming out of the office before his rage built again and he ended up punching the wolf for his stubborn stupidity.
You could cancel, would that quell the growing anxiety inside of you? But the whole point of this date was to move on from this unrequited infatuation with them that was boarding on pathetic. You’re sure Namjoon’s caught on, why else would he look at you like that during the meeting? He must be so disgusted and disappointed in you. 
Jimin, Tae and Kookie would tell you what was going on inside their alpha’s head, they didn’t hide things from you, you could actually call them your friends. What if this whole situation took them away from you? What if Namjoon told them you were just like everyone else, trying to get close to them for an agenda. Is that why you hadn’t seen them yet?
As much as you told yourself you needed to create a professional distance and set boundaries before any misunderstandings could form, you couldn’t lie to yourself that you didn’t want anything to change, you didn’t want to lose them or what you had with them. Was that so selfish? You didn’t want to lose them, you didn’t want them to hate you, and you didn’t want to feel like this anymore. Like your love for them was wrong. 
The office was bustling around you and yet you were still, a mountain of work sat on your desk and you couldn’t even glance in its direction. You should’ve called in sick.
“Y/n!” Jackson calls for your attention, standing beside you, frowning at your despondency, almost the same look he saw on one of his bosses moments ago. The Golden retriever hybrid was the perfect secretary, unflinchingly loyal, and able to read every emotion cue before they even presented. Something was going on, and his instincts told him to stay out of it. 
“Hey,” you greet him, his presence jolting you into starting to go through the pile of work, even if it was just to look busy. 
“Min Depyunim needs you in his office ASAP,” he instructs. 
His frown deepens at the way your heart rate skyrocketed, the growing anxiety perspiring from your skin. 
“Did he say why?” you ask with a gulp, your eyes wide like a prey hybrid. 
“No, just that it was urgent.”
You only nod in reply, not trusting your voice as you leave your desk. Each step to that office would normally bring you a sense of comfort, anticipation in the best kind of way, but today your shoes were filled with lead. You hold an empty folder against your chest as if that would offer you any defence. 
The door opens before you knock, your fist in the air as you come face to face with Yoongi. The panther hybrid detests eye contact, it was more a sign of aggression in the hybrid world, but now his eyes were boring into yours, pleading you without words. Both your faces mirror a sense of sadness, your voices caught in your throats. His hand wraps around your wrist that was still caught midair, pulling you in when you made no move to. 
His office still had hints of yesterday, he locked it after you left, not wanting the cleaning crew to erase your scent or the evidence of your bonding session. The windows were closed, but the air in the room wasn’t stifling. Even though you were human, the room was calming your tense composure. That is, until your boss opens his mouth.
“I need you to stay late and help me with a new merger,” he announces, his stoic stare almost daring you to defy him, but behind that demeanour he was nervous. 
You stare back in shock, he knew you had a date. He heard you at that meeting, you're sure of it, so why? 
“Kitten?” he searches your face for a hint of something, anything. “It's an important deal, I need my best girl on it.”
You take a deep breath at the compliment, your heart fluttering against your wishes. Your skin flushes with heat, and you hope his hybrid senses can’t pick up the warmth you're suddenly emitting. Here it was… a way out, a way to just go back to how things were. You could say yes.
“I can’t,” you shake your head, looking away from his penetrating gaze before it coerced you into giving in. “I have plans, I’m sorry I can’t.”
“Cancel.” The word comes out like a command before he can correct himself. “Reschedule, this is important.”
The folder in your arms is squeezed closer against your chest, your eyes close, you almost look like you’re fighting with yourself. 
Give in Kitten, come on, did you really like this guy? Did you really not want him and the others? They were so sure, with the way you reciprocated their affection, that you felt the same. The idea that you didn't, sent a stabbing pain straight through his chest.
“I can’t, I’m really sorry,” you wish he knew how sorry you were, fighting to keep your eyes from watering. You didn’t want to go tonight, but you were forcing yourself to. 
“Why?” he fights the growl from his voice, his eyes piercing you. 
“I just can’t,” you hold back the sorrow in your tone, but he can still hear it, realising he was possibly putting you between a rock and a hard place. He tries not to scoff, tries not to take it further, but he can’t help himself, he was so pissed at this situation, the idea that someone else was getting to be with you in every way he wanted to be. 
“Miss L/n this deal is important-”
“You’ve said that,” you cut him off, arguing back. You hated when he called you that. Every time he was annoyed with you, every time you made a grievous mistake back when you both didn’t get along, he used your surname in that tone, and this time it irritated you. “But I’ve read my contract, I don’t have to say yes.”
He takes a deep breath, both your spiking distress starting to destroy the previous ambience of his office, and he didn’t want to lose it. He walks away from you, trying to cool down, only turning back when he reaches his desk, hoping the distance would give him a chance to breathe.
“Will there be repercussions Min Depyunim?” you ask, your eyes staring daggers into his softening features. He shakes his head, looking down at the ground between you, disgusted with himself. He was so desperate for you not to go, was he really going to force you to stay? 
You sigh, Min Yoongi doesn’t back down, not with you. He gave in to you when you needed him to, but he never backed down when you playfully bickered, and definitely not when you argued. 
“Yoongi are you okay?” Your glare dulls, the concern for him easing your temper. 
“The cubs explained that we all see you as part of the pack right?” His head is still angled to the floor but his hooded eyes look up at you.
You nod slowly, his words sinking into you slowly since they came from nowhere.
“You don’t smell like us today, it’s put us on edge,” he lies. “Can I scent you kitten?”
He could hear your heart pound against your ribcage, trying so desperately to run to where it belonged, in his arms, in his hold. You were their mate, your body knew it, why didn’t you?
You hesitate. Every single repercussion and consequence ran through your mind telling you to say no, but you didn’t care, not until a certain wolf hybrid’s glare entered your head. Yoongi can see your eyes glisten with wherever your thoughts were going, the way they were imploring him to pull you out of whatever melancholic place they were taking you. 
“Come here,” he orders, sitting on his desk with his legs open for you to stand in between. He doesn’t miss the shift in your eyes as they dilate at the preposition, the way your breathing gets heavier. 
Seriously, does he want to kill you? He wants you to stand there, he didn’t do it like that yesterday. His stare compels you to walk forward, your grip still digging into the folder in your arms, but when did you ever need a shield against Min Yoongi? As soon as you’re close enough he grabs your hand, pulling you closer to him. He smirks as you try to avoid eye contact, shuffling where you stood. He takes that damned file away from you, throwing it somewhere on his desk.
You feel vulnerable without it, yet there was something exhilarating about the position you’re in. Your scent changes, a ghost of yesterday’s intensity, but the subtle smell was enough to get his panther preening. His arms wrap around you, his face buried into the juncture of your neck. He rubs his nose against your skin, his ears perking at the way your breath hitches.
You jump when there’s a knock on the door before it opens, the panther possessively not letting you budge as you panic. He scowls at the door, ready to tear into Namjoon if he was interrupting again, not giving a shit as to what their alpha thought anymore. 
“Hyung- Oh,” Hoseok’s mouth forms a perfect circle in shock, his eyebrows rising at the sight and audacity of the older CEO. He locks the door when he walks through, his features composing as he smirks at Yoongi. There was no need for anyone else, or their pack leader to walk in on this. 
Your little fight against Yoongi’s hold ceases when you realise your efforts are futile, your head dropping to his shoulder in defeat, and with the way your skin was burning, embarrassment. 
“Kitten, are you hiding from Hobi?” He sniggers, unable to resist teasing you. It was odd, having this moment with you all while knowing you were going to be with someone else tonight. Bittersweet didn’t seem like the right word, it was crueler than that. His tail wraps around your thigh at the thought of having to let you go, he didn’t want to. 
You didn’t realise how touchstarved you were until you felt his soft fur on your skin, melting into his hold a little more. Maybe you really did need this date if the only place you were getting an inkling of physical attention was your seven bosses, perhaps that was what caused this dilemma in the first place, maybe you were just confused about your feelings because you hadn’t had any romantic interests since you started working here. Maybe it was just a stupid crush and you were overthinking everything. As much as you tried to convince yourself, you knew you were lying. 
Hoseok’s arms wrapping around you from behind underneath Yoongi’s pulls you out of your sinking thoughts. He nuzzles his cheek against the top of your head, scenting you to soothe that sour flavour seeping from you. When your aroma settles back to its natural sweetness he’s satisfied with his work, resting his chin on the other side of your head on your shoulder. 
“Sunshine, why are you being shy?” he whispers into your ear like he’s sharing a secret, chuckling when you bury yourself further into the panther hybrid. There’s an amused breath of laughter from the CEO you were trying to cocoon yourself in, but his heart swells at the fact you were seeking comfort in him. 
“Hmmmm,” he pretends to pout, pressing his lips against the sliver of skin showing on the juncture of your shoulder and neck. “Should I leave sunshine?”
You shake your head against Yoongi, one of the hands that was gripping onto his shirt, coming away to hold onto the sleeve of the lion hybrid behind you before he had the chance to pull away. He smiles fondly at the action even if you weren’t coming out to play. He kisses the back of your head quickly, using your current state to his advantage. He feels you stiffen slightly before you relax again, your heart is hammering so hard he can feel it through your back. His eyes glance at Yoongi, a silent communication shared between them both, the same thought echoing through their minds. It might have been wrong, it might cross every boundary Namjoon told them to avoid, but they would scent you so intensely that if you were with a hybrid tonight they would suffocate on the stench. They would cover every available inch of you in their smell that every hybrid would know you were accounted for. They didn’t even want to think about what they would do if the stupid person you were seeing was human. 
Hobi rests his forehead against the back of your head, wishing he could just read your thoughts. Why were you doing this to them? His embrace tightens, his sunny disposition clouding. He didn’t think he could handle it, if you came into work smelling of someone else. Something sharp grips his chest, like a thousand thorns piercing into the flesh, trying to claw its way into his heart. He wants to beg you not to do this, but the words get caught in his throat. 
He closes his eyes, sniffing your hair subtly before it would become tainted by someone else, trying to lock it into his memory as if this was the last time he’d see you. He was usually so content in your presence, always eased and comforted by just your smile or laugh. But now he was fighting back tears, feeling like you had slipped out of reach even though you were here in his arms. He feels another hand on his other arm, recognising Yoongi’s touch. The lion hybrid was pouring out a damp essence with his sorrow, unbeknownst to you, but the older CEO could sense it. Maybe a part of you could too, your thumb starting to stroke his arm soothingly making him ache.
Why didn’t you want them the way they wanted you?  
Day one of not being able to see you and they were already a mess. Three Hybrids laid in Jungkook’s room, staring at the ceiling wondering where it all went wrong. The bunny hybrid took the bed, Taehyung was on the floor, the oldest maknae on the bean bag. They were in here all day, feeling lost without work, well not work, without you. They didn’t realise how much they looked forward to their day because of you until Namjoon took it away from them. 
“This week is going to be torture if all we do is contemplate our life choices,” Jungkook states blankly, his stare still on the ceiling. 
“It’s already torture,” Taehyung huffs, clutching onto the pillow he stole from the bed earlier. “Did you hear him last night tell Hyung he had plans for us when we got back.”
He shudders, his chin digging into the soft material in his hands for comfort. He may have been a tiger but their alpha could instil fear in anyone, regardless of rank or breed. 
“What plans?” Jimin asks, his head rising to look at his best friend on the floor. 
“He’s going to make us work on another floor,” Taehyung replies sadly, his whole face falling from despondency to complete heart break.
Jimin groans, pushing his hair back in frustration as his head hits the beanbag again.
“He can’t do that,” Jungkook says quietly, terrified at the prospect that the one thing that keeps him sane at that dreaded building was going to be kept away from him.
“He can,” Jimin spits before whining, “this is so unfair, he’s overreacting and he knows it.”
“I’ve never seen him so mad at us before,” Taehyung sniffs. 
Jimin sighs, not wanting to add to the melancholy infecting the tiger hybrid.
“Maybe he’ll come to his senses before we’re back at work,” he tries to sound hopeful, but it fools no one. 
“Even if he does, we still have a week of suspension,” Jungkook scoffs. “He won’t back down on that just to prove a point.”
They sit in silence, stuck in this purgatory without you. 
“Right!” Jimin sits up with a clap, looking at the other maknaes with an expression that could only be described as displeased. “We can sit here all week, or we can distract ourselves.”
“How?” Taehyung asks with a pout.
“Treat it like a holiday,” Jimin suggests. “Let’s go out before the hyungs come home.” 
Jungkook sighs, it wasn’t a bad idea, but it would have been better if you were part of the equation. 
“Where do we go?” he tries to give into the proposition but he wasn’t feeling it.
“I don’t want to get hit on,” Taehyung announces, the insinuation in his voice clear, that meant nothing too public, or anything too high end.
“We’ll clear out the VIP lounge at our club,” Jimin shrugs.
“Which one?” 
Their company owned a few but they were more personal entrepreneurial revenues, Hobi, Yoongi and Namjoon owned Cypher, a more underground clubbing scene. Hoseok owned another with Jin and Jungkook called Jamais Vu, while Jimin shared Dionysus with the panther and their alpha. 
“What difference is sitting in a club going to make when we can sit here?” Jungkook grumbles. “What's the point?”
“We have a week of hell Jungkookie,” Jimin stands, walking over to the bunny hybrid pushing him to get up. “Let's try to survive it.”
“I don’t want to go clubbing, I don’t feel like dancing,” Taehyung mopes.
“Aish you both are killing me,” Jimin complains, still trying to budge the maknae into moving. “What about your bar Tae?”
He contemplates it, eyes looking up as he thinks it through. Scenery was normally quiet, only bringing in the older generation since it was a jazz bar as unique as the tiger hybrid himself. The others didn’t think it would do as well as it had but some people wanted the gentle calm compared to the rioting lights and loud music. It was huge so even if it were a busy night it never felt like it. 
“Yeah Jungkook let’s go,” he agrees after deeming the suggestion acceptable.
The youngest groans, his arms covering his eyes in protest, pretending to sleep.
“Jungkook, do you really want to stay here and hear the hyung’s gloat about their day with Y/n?” Jimin sounds solemn, making the bunny peer at him. 
No, he didn’t want that at all. 
“Explain to me how this is different to staying home?” His nose twitches cutely, watching Taehyung’s regular patrons enjoying their evening, not missing the way most of them were couples. Jimin can’t help laughing at the pout and grumpy eyes the bunny was adorning, 
“This place has alcohol,” Jimin giggles, already on his third drink. 
“We have alcohol at home,” Jungkook mumbles back, leaning back in their booth near the back of the establishment while Jimin signalled to the bartender for a top up.
“So much for not dancing,” Jimin chuckles at the sight of the tiger hybrid dancing on his own, perfectly content surrounded by the couples, not a care in the world. He catches them watching, giving them both a shy smirk, teeth biting into his bottom lip as he grinned. 
“We should invite Flower here,” Taehyung says a little breathlessly as he slides into the booth next to Jimin, seemingly having had enough of the dancing. 
“You know hyung banished us from the office,” Jimin thought out loud, “he didn’t say anything about contacting Angel out of hours.”
Jungkook snorts at the logic.
“I think it was insinuated,” he rolls his eyes, the pair of them instigating an argument about the topic while Taehyung watches chuckling. 
“What hyung doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Jimin shrugs.
“How many times have you said that-”
But the tiger hybrid doesn’t hear the next words, his face turns blank as his senses tune into the sound of the door opening, the little bell ringing. He doesn’t understand why he can suddenly feel his heartbeat harder in anticipation, his sixth sense taking over control of his body. There’s a gust of wind, a gentle breeze he can feel through the open door, and with it a familiar scent.
“How many times do you drag us into trouble?” Jungkook was still squabbling with the arctic fox, the pair of them unaware of their friend’s wavering attention. 
“Taehyung tell this kit-”
They both turn to the tiger hybrid, taken back by his look of shock until they follow his line of sight. Their hearts stopped, taking all the life out of them in a single gasp. Was that really you or was it a mirage from their abstinence? Jimin and Jungkook are about to smile until they notice what Taehyung already had. You were sitting at the bar in front of them, seemingly alone until they saw the man you were with bring back two glasses. The smile you give him has them sobering.
Taehyung growls so deep that anyone would think he was in his tiger form, his eyes glow with a tint, penetrating that spot the bastard had his hand on your back. Jimin and Jungkook fare no better, a solemn fury burning through their sudden glares, and you must’ve felt the heat because you turn like they called your name, your gaze meeting theirs.
You turn away quickly, feeling like you got caught cheating which was absolutely ridiculous. You shouldn’t be feeling guilty, so why was it eating you alive? You tried to smile at your date as he leaned in to ask if you were okay.
Jimin scoffs at the sight, a humourless breath of laughter escaping as he shakes his head, who the hell did this idiot think he was? Why were you with him?
“Are they friends…?” Jungkook tries to keep the venom out of his voice, tries to dispute the idea you were out romantically with this asshole.
“If it was friendship they’d be out in a group,” Jimin comments. “Look at their body language, his especially, my little vixen is out on a date.”
The possessive lilt in his tone is intense, his glare burning your back. There’s a rumble from Taehyung’s chest at his words, the tiger’s tail whipping so hard you could hear it slice the air.
What the actual hell? Of all the places to see the CEOs, of all the nights, why this one? Why here? Your heart was thundering in nerves, you tried so hard to swallow but your throat had run dry, and your hands were shaking so bad you didn’t think you could pick up your glass.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” Eric asks you for the second time, your date so far had been fine, but even though it had only really just started you were so ready for it to end. He seemed like a lovely guy, not too eager, a little bit goofy and funny in a way that wasn’t his whole personality. But the second you met him, you saw all the ways he wasn’t them, and you realised that wasn’t fair on him. 
You were trying, really truly trying to give this a chance, but those three intense stares you could feel on the back of your head reminded you of all the reasons why you didn’t want to. 
You didn’t need this. The whole point of tonight was to build boundaries and distances, how were you supposed to do that when they were here.
“This place is something else,” he says trying to make conversation, looking around at the decor and beige tones. You couldn’t tell if he liked it or not. “So why did you want to come here?”
“Umm, I don’t know,” you admit. “There’s just something about this place that seems familiar and comforting, you know?”
Oh the irony of your words. You needed familiarity and comfort around you when you were stepping out of your comfort zone, but the three hybrids behind you had destroyed that plan. 
Eric smiles at you in a way that lets you know he didn’t get it, it makes you laugh at the foolishness of your words. At least he laughed with you, the atmosphere only lightening a smidge. 
“For a place that you like, you haven’t touched your drink,” he notes, looking at both your pints, yours was full, his halfway through. Fuck it, you needed something to take the edge off. His jaw drops in surprise as you down the whole thing, the glass coming down empty onto the bartop. “It wasn’t a challenge.”
You catch the amusement in his eyes, rolling yours jokingly with a smile. You could do this, you could totally handle being out on a date with the three of seven of the loves of your life watching you. You hiccup, did you really just think that? You were meant to think ‘three of seven of your bosses watching you’, you didn’t mean what you thought before. Shit, maybe you drank that a bit too quickly. 
“Top up?” he asks, picking up your glass as he finishes his own, walking away to the busy barkeep when you nod. You didn’t want another drink, but you needed to breathe. For a second you forget something glaringly obvious, until three bodies join you where you’re sitting. You blink repeatedly at the stern expression of the arctic fox hybrid next to you, wondering if he were really there. The scene resembles something familiar to you, a mirror of how they would join you at your desk at work, but his eyes spell trouble in a way you don’t think you’re used to. 
“Did you miss us, my little vixen?” Jimin asks, his voice low, the smirk on his face dangerous.
“Huh?” You only gawp at the question, your mind drawing blanks and failing to comprehend his words at all with his body so close to yours. 
You hear a scoff on your otherside, turning to relieve yourself of the oldest maknae, only to meet the possessive anger in Jungkook’s gaze, Taehyung next to him, leaning on the bar, ignoring you. 
“She didn’t even notice we were gone,” Jungkook comments, his tongue pushing hard against his cheek in frustration, believing his own words. “One day with the hyungs and she forgets all about us.”
He sniffs the air, not missing the way your skin was drenched in Yoongi’s and Hobi’s scent. Well your date was definitely not a hybrid, any right minded one would sense the obvious courting markers and run a mile, especially when it was a couple of predators that had done the scenting.
“The hyungs obviously haven’t done a good job keeping you company angel,” Jimin says, glaring at the advancing human walking their way. He puts on his best fake smile, ready to lull his new prey into a false sense of security before he takes you away.
“Y/n?” Eric looks at the men that joined you, frowning in question.
“E-Eric, umm these are my bosses from work,” you try to keep your features calm, but nothing would hide the alarm in your eyes. There's a low growl next to you at your statement, Jimin’s disapproving stare berating you more than his words could.
“Oh,” he says nodding, trying to understand the situation because something didn’t feel right. “What a small world…”
Jungkook scoffs again, what an idiot? Why were you here with an idiot?
“I hope we aren’t interrupting,” Jimin continues, that faux innocence in his voice not matching the devilish smirk on his face. “But the more company the better right?”
Eric now realises what was wrong with the scene in front of him, you were here on a date with him, but with the way the hybrids were surrounding you, he was nowhere near you. He was on the outside looking in, like the three men were purposefully keeping him at a distance, away from you. He awkwardly places the pint as close to you as he could… or as close as they would allow. 
“Taehyung actually owns this bar,” Jimin gestures to the silent tiger before taking a sip of his drink. “What are the chances we’d run into you here?”
You can’t think of anything to say, your mouth kept opening and closing intermittently, you couldn’t meet anyone’s gaze, especially not your date’s. All the times you wished the ground would just swallow you up to escape, this was the hardest you prayed for it. Your hands fidget on the bar, fingers playing with each other, the uncomfortable air stifling. A large palm covers your own to quell the growing anxiety he could smell, your eyes pulled towards the culprit. Taehyung hadn’t said a word since they saw you, but his hand engulfed both of yours, unable to stand his mate in distress even if there was a volcano in the pit of his stomach ready to blow. He still doesn’t look at you, stoically staring ahead at nothing even with your eyes on him.
Eric’s frown turns comical at how intently he stares at your connected hands, adding numbers together but not yet reaching a conclusion despite how obvious the answer was. He tries to side step closer to you but the way the rabbit hybrid was standing behind you, curving his body to your right side, there was no way he could close the distance. 
“Y/n do you want to dance?” he asks instead, if he couldn’t come in, he would pull you out instead. Did your bosses not realise you were on a date? Should he make it obvious you were to avoid any awkwardness?
Their backs stiffen, the palm covering your hands tighten their hold almost in warning if not desperation to stop you. Jungkook grunts in anger, the sound falling deaf on the human’s ears but not yours.
Cat got your tongue Kitten, dammit why could you hear Yoongi’s smug voice in your head now of all times. Y/n say something, you beg yourself. You don’t miss the sound of two tails sweeping through the air in agitation, trying to work out why they were behaving like this, until it clicked. 
If they thought you were part of the pack, then it was only reasonable to assume they’d be protective over anyone approaching you. You’d seen it before amongst themselves, the way they’d act if someone tried to hit on one of them. That must be it. 
“You go ahead,” you finally say with a tightlipped smile. “I’ll be there in a second.”
Although confused, your date decides to do as he’s told. You could feel the tension in their shoulders relieve with each step he took away from you.
“Are you guys okay?” you ask, they weren’t at work today and now you’re sure their moods were bitter bordering on bursting, something must have happened. They look at you in disbelief, Jimin laughs humorlessly shaking his head at how oblivious you could really really be sometimes. What excuse did your human brain come up with now? He had to know. How did you see all the signs they were giving you and translate them into something so ridiculous?
“Are you on a date?” Jungkook asks venomously, eyes holding yours so piercingly you have to remind yourself he wasn’t a snake hybrid. 
“I-I am,” you try to sound confident. “Look, thank you for watching out for me, but Eric is fine.”
You try to smile, you really did, but you don’t know who you were trying to convince. 
How could you not hear their hearts shattering? Of course they knew, but until it was out of your mouth it wasn’t solidified, it couldn’t be true. There’s a small whimper expressed from the maknae that he couldn’t control. 
“And I should probably be getting back to it,” you sigh, standing up from the barstool, trying to ignore the way they were all holding onto you in some way. Jungkook’s hands ghosted over your arms, wanting to pull you back in your seat but he’s resisting the urge as much as it killed him. Taehyung’s hand lingers on yours for as long as he could before they’re gone. Even the back of Jimin’s forefinger was tracing your arm lightly as you stood, the anguish on all of their faces apparent. How could you be here with someone else when yesterday…
Yesterday you were in their arms, all afternoon. They scented you, they courted you, they looked after you. And you returned it all. How did that mean nothing to you? Were humans really that callous or so indifferent? Not you, they couldn’t believe you were that way, but the evidence staring at them as you started to walk away.
Taehyung can’t stand it, his teeth grinding hard as he grabbed your wrist and pulled you next to him, startling you with the sudden way your body jerked to his command. 
“Tae-”
The low ferocious rumble from his chest silences you. His eyes avoided you the whole time he came to stand beside you and now they burned into yours, an unforgiving fire making them glow. Taehyung sits on the barstool next to yours, spreading his legs as he places you between them. The position is familiar, you were in a similar one earlier with the panther hybrid, but the glint in his eyes has it feeling so different. Your breathing turns so heavy you’re almost panting, his face so close to yours, all your senses are engulfed in him. Your pulse was so fast you could convince them you were a little hummingbird hybrid about to get caught in the tiger’s teeth. 
“Taehyung,” you breathe, unable to look away from him, his grip was still like iron around your wrist, his tail wrapping around your middle. It was suddenly so hot, you felt like you were on fire, and all you wanted to do was smother his lips with yours.
You’re grateful for a second that he looks away, giving you a chance to catch your breath, and resist the pull of his stare. The feeling doesn’t last long as you realise his gaze has travelled down to your attire, the disapproving hum vibrating from his throat. You chose to wear this enchanting dress for someone that wasn’t them, you consciously went through your wardrobe and chose something so flattering for a man that you barely knew. His eyes snap back to yours, the flames reigniting in them with more lethal intensity. You gulp, just to soothe your drying throat. 
“Y/n?” 
Neither of you flinch at the sound of your concerned date, unable to comprehend the sight in front of him.
“Are you okay?” he says more urgently. “Hey I don’t think she wants you to hold-”
He makes the grievous mistake of trying to pry Taehyung’s grip away, the tiger turning his carnal fury on the stupid human. But before he can unleash his roar, you pull him back, fingers on his chin turning his face back to you. 
“Eric I’m really really sorry,” you apologise and meaning it. “I’m part of their pack, you’re a stranger so they’re not familiar with your scent.”
You turn to the human as you explain, as much as Taehyung would let you.
“It agitates them, because they don’t know your intentions,” you sound logical, convincing, of course you do, you believe the nonsense you’re spouting. 
Jimin said he wanted to hear the excuse you were making in that brain of yours, and here it was. If anything it aggravates them more, not just at your imperception but the fact all of this could have been avoided if Namjoon just let them confess.
“Does that make sense?” You ask, cringing at the awkwardness.  
“Yeah that does,” he sighs, glancing at the hybrids that look ready to pounce and tear him to shreds. “Don’t worry about it, we can reschedule for another time.”
You smile gratefully at him, thankful he wasn’t screaming insults at you and making you feel like shit. 
“Over my dead body,” Jungkook huffs under his breath, loud enough for you to hear.
“Thanks Eric,” you ignore the bunny’s outburst, “I’ll see you soon.”
At those words Taehyung’s tail wraps tighter around your waist, the movement not missed by the human.
With a wave he’s gone, and they finally feel like they can breathe. 
“You guys are seriously too much,” you sigh, skin still tingling from the sensation of the tiger hybrid’s touch. “He wasn’t going to kill me.”
Jimin can’t stop the higher pitched growl leaving his lips.
“You don’t know that,” he scoffs.
Their clouded heads were clearing, slowly realising the events of what just happened even though they just lived them. This was bad, their judgement was so dictated by their jealousy and possessiveness it was bordering on dangerous. 
“I think I need to go home,” you announce in a quiet voice, your own train of thoughts already taking you away from them.
“We’ll take you,” Jungkook offers, ready to rectify his mistakes.
“No I think you guys have done enough,” you frown at the floor, your harsh words hitting them with shame and heartache. 
Jungkook blinks back sudden tears, unable to handle your rejection, even if he deserved it. 
“Angel-”
“I really don’t want to hear it tonight, please,” your eyes close, fighting back your own watering eyes, swallowing down the hurt. 
How could they do this to you? How could they not realise how you felt and not let you take this way out of it? They didn’t want you, they didn’t love you back, they weren’t allowed to behave like this and confuse you. You pull Taehyung’s clutch away from your wrist with your other hand, his tail falling limply at the grief sinking his whole soul. 
You don’t say a word as you walk away, leaving three hybrids too stunned to speak. 
Did you understand the nightmares that haunted Namjoon at night? The images of you accusing them of heinous hideous things that in the moment he believes with his whole heart. That look of hatred on your face that burns into his brain. Every time he woke up the hurt lingered into the day.
It’s a stupid defence mechanism he knows, the way he’s been behaving recently. His wolf side is angry and pissed with his human parts and the hybrid is taking it out on everyone around him, even you, even if you both hadn’t spoken since the day before yesterday.
The worst part of it was, he was holding you at a distance, his usual cure for his downcast thoughts. You were the one to pull him out when he buried himself in his overthinking and his insecurities. You always dug him out, and this time you didn’t, and he wouldn’t let you close enough to. This time you left him under the weight of his own misery and walked away with another man. His jaw clenches unconsciously, his bite so tense his teeth would break under the force.
This just proved everything he had been saying was right. You didn’t want them. They were helplessly and hopelessly in love with you to the point where they recognised you as their mate, and you didn’t return the feeling. As much as Yoongi argued that you were human so therefore you were dense to their affection, Namjoon couldn’t agree. How could you not see it when they behaved the way they did with you, only you. When else had he found his employee in the arms of his packmate asleep? When else would he allow someone outside of his pack to get as close to him as you did?
And to top it all off, every member of his pack started courting you for real the day you smelled the way you did. They were oblivious to it, or denying it themselves, but something inside of them clicked that day, and Namjoon could see the consequences in their behaviour even if they couldn’t. Why didn’t they understand it was futile, they were going to get their hearts torn out because of a human girl. Before their affection and gestures were always poised as a question, an indirect way of asking if you were interested in them. But now the boundaries were gone, they recognised you as their mate completely whether you were or not, this was everything he was trying to prevent. It was one thing to think it, now their more animalistic sides would accept nothing less but your hand in theirs. 
His tormenting thoughts come to an abrupt stop as do his steps. He was walking past the empty meeting room, on his way back to the office when he heard it. He should walk away, but he can’t bring himself to. There was no way he should know that was you, but he did. His fingers close around the handle, his thoughts in overdrive, fighting with himself about what to do. 
His instincts take over when he hears the sob, opening the door in a flash to the sound, staring incredulously at the sight of your tear stained face. You struggle to stop crying, choking on your tears as you try to control them, turning away from him. Your hand covers your mouth as you whimper, unable to hold back now the floodgates opened. You hear the door slam shut thinking he had left until you hear the lock. 
“Babygirl-”
“Namjoon I-I’m fine,” you hold your tears back long enough to say it as firmly as you could, your face scrunching as the downpour continues. 
He can see your shoulders trembling, he can hear the pain in your voice. It killed him.
Someone hurt his mate, as much as he tried to stop the thought it echoed in his head loudly. His mate was hurt, his mate was crying. He was caught between wanting to tear someone’s throat apart for putting you in this state and the urge to comfort you in his arms. It physically pains him not to step towards you, to not give in to all the cells in his body that screamed at him to go to you.
He couldn’t be a hypocrite, he has repeated to the others so many times, you weren’t theirs. How many times did he preach not to cross the line? How many times did he break his own rules?
“Y/n, as your employer, as your friend,” he says as calmly as he can, “tell me what’s wrong.”
If there was ever a wrong button to press, Namjoon could find it. You let out an unbearable whine, drowning out your loud cries in both your hands. 
He takes a deep pained breath, his eyes closing as he fights so hard with himself, the wrinkles between his brows deep as caverns. He couldn’t, not after everything he said to the others, he couldn’t…
Fuck it.
His long strides close the distance quickly, his arms turning you to face him as he buries you into the safety of his chest. His arm traps you in his hold when you try to push him away, one hand in your hair trying to soothe you.
“Shhh babygirl it's fine,” his chin sits on the top of your head, his palm alternating between patting your head affectionately and stroking the strands. He’s never seen you like this, or heard just an anguished cry in his life. “I’m so sorry…”
He felt compelled to say it, hating himself for everything. 
He lets you bawl your eyes out against him, holding you firmly through every violent tremble that shakes your body. His tail wraps behind you like a second arm would in a hug, his ears twitching to every sound you make. You clutch onto his shirt like a lifeline, unable to tell him he and the others were the reason for your tears. 
It came out of nowhere, but repressed emotions have a way of finding an out. You barely made it to the empty meeting room before the tears started dropping, and you couldn’t stop. Everything that was happening between you and them overwhelmed you, you couldn’t take it anymore. You wanted to bang your fist against his chest and demand they understood what they were doing to you. You wanted to confess everything, let the dice fall wherever they had to, but you could barely breathe, how could you find your voice?
This needed to end before it destroyed you.
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katnisspeetaprim · 7 months
Text
Pluto Pt.3
Jungkook/Cat!Hybrid!Reader
Summary: Jungkook deals with the aftermath of you running away. Warnings: Nothing really
Word Count: 2602 M.list
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It had been a few days since you came home with Jungkook and though you’ve been settling in well, you’ve yet to actually leave the house. Mainly because you couldn’t face putting that awful collar back on.
Jungkook had also decided to keep Bam away a little while longer, just whilst you get fully settled. He’d also tried to stay home as much as possible with you, but with his job  that wouldn’t always be possible. You still hadn’t listened to his music, and didn’t want to come off as pushy by asking.
One day out of the blue, your heard Jungkook speaking with a voice you didn’t recognise as they entered the apartment and you’d never moved so fast in your life. Before they could leave the hallway, you’d ran and locked yourself in the bathroom and cowered behind the shower curtain.
You could hear them talking to each other but couldn’t make out any words. A knock sounded on the bathroom door, causing you to jump.
‘Hey Y/N it’s just me. I’m sorry if we scared you.’ It was Jungkook speaking softly through the door. You didn’t answer so he spoke again.
‘My friend Tae is here. He’d love to meet you, if you’re up to it?’ You’d love to meet his friend, but you were still too scared to meet someone new, but you didn’t want to let the fear control you anymore.
You jumped up from the tub with the intent of grabbing the handle and proudly showing yourself to them, but as your hand lingered on the handle... You couldn’t do it.
‘He’s not mean Y/N, I promise but it’s ok if you aren’t ready.’ You didn’t reply and backed away from the door. Hearing him sigh behind the door made you well up in tears. He was disappointed in you...
‘Ok... I’ll be back later tonight. Get something to eat, ok?’ His footsteps faded away as he and the unknown voice left the home.
You broke down in tears as soon as he left. You were pitiful and he was already getting fed up of you after only a few days. He couldn’t even have his dog here because of you. You’d leave before he got back tonight. Maybe you could make your own way back to Pluto.
You’d decided to leave everything behind, considering you hardly had any belongings to begin with. Most of what you owned was technically owned by Jungkook. You didn’t even take a jacket and the cold night air was already getting to you. You hugged yourself in an attempt to keep warm, but it wasn’t working too well.
The only thing you’d picked up from the apartment was the temporary collar, which was nestled in your back pocket. You still refused to put it back on.
You had no clue how long you’d been walking, but you were freezing and most certainly lost. You were beginning to panic as you walked down another dark street that you didn’t recognise.
Jungkook had to have been home by now. You wondered what he was thinking right now... was he relieved that you’d left on your own?
You were pulled from your thoughts when flashing lights appeared behind you. You stopped when the car pulled up beside you and two police officers got out.
‘Hey kitty. You don’t have a collar. That’s illegal you know.’ The first officer was an intimidating man. You felt yourself shrink back as he approached.
‘Don’t call her kitty man, have some respect.’ The second officer scolded his partner. The intimidating man grumbled as the softer spoken man smiled kindly to you.
‘Hey there, I’m officer Kim. Do you have a collar at all?’ You eyed him suspiciously but pulled out the collar anyway.
‘This is a temporary collar. Are you newly adopted?’ You nodded in confirmation.
‘She needs to put that on, no exceptions!’ The mean officer grabbed the collar from Kim’s hands and roughly grabbed your shoulder and span you round. You let out a pained yelp and grabbed at your neck when the collar was forced on too tightly.
‘Hey Lee, there’s no need for that.’ Officer Kim shoved Lee away, but he made it clear you needed to keep the collar on. He stormed off and slammed the car door as he got in the drivers seat. Officer Kim sighed and turned back to address you.
‘Why are you out so late, alone?’ You didn’t know what to say. If you told the truth, would Jungkook get in trouble? That’s the last thing you wanted, to cause even more trouble for him.
‘I got lost...’ You whispered, which was half true. Kim nodded in understanding.
‘Do you know the address?’
‘A place called The Hills I think. It’s on my collar...’ You didn’t want to go back, but you were out of options. Officer Kim snickered.
‘The Hills huh? You’ve got some rich owners then.’ You pulled at the restricting collar as he lead you to the car.
Not long later you were back where you started. Officer Lee had insisted he be the one to escort you back to your front door. He gripped your arm tightly as he banged on Jungkook’s door.
Not even a second later, the door swung open and there stood Jungkook. You didn’t have time to take in his expression, before you pulled away from the officer and ran to hide behind Jungkook. The warmth of the home immediatley relieved you from the chill of the outside.
‘Found your pretty kitty wandering the streets. Take better care next time, she wasn’t even wearing a collar.’ With that, he turned and sauntered back down the hall. Jungkook closed the door and span round to face you. It was only now that you saw his dishevelled appearance. His hair was a mess, like he’d been running his fingers though it constantly and his eyes were red and puffy. He’d been crying... Was that because of you?
He lunged forwards and gripped your arms tightly, causing you to gasp out as you didn’t expect this from him.
‘Where were you!? Why did you leave like that!?’ He was yelling and shaking you slightly. Your eyes were wide with fear, unable to bring yourself to say anything.
‘Jungkook! You’re scaring her!’ Another voice spoke up from across the room, though at this moment in time, you didn’t care about the stranger. You only cared about Jungkook and the look that was covering his face.
He was scared, all because of you... Only when the other person spoke up did he realise what he was doing. He almost jumped across the room, shocked with himself.
‘I’m sorry...’ He whimpered and held up his palms to show he meant no harm. His eyes locked onto the collar that once again sat around your neck. Without a word, he reached forwards and undid the clasp.
You felt the immediate relief when the collar was off and no longer squeezing your neck.
‘What the fuck!? How tight did they put that thing?’ Jungkook eyed the red mark on your neck in anger. How dare they hurt you like this?
‘I’ll get some ice!’ It was then that you chanced a glance at the new person in the room. You only caught sight of his back as he hurried away, though from the short interaction just now, he seemed thoughtful.
‘That’s just Namjoon-hyung... My group’s leader.’ Jungkook mumbled and rubbed at his red tired eyes. He flopped down onto the sofa and cradled his head in his hands. You stayed stood in front of him and nervously shuffled from side to side.
‘why did you leave?’ Jungkook suddenly broke the silence with a softer voice this time. He looked up to you with a deep frown. ‘Did I do something wrong? Or are you not happy?’ Your heart shattered when you heard his distraught voice. You’d severely misjudged the situation.
Your ears turned downwards and your tail curled up against your leg, and dread had suddenly overtaken your body.
‘I’m so sorry...’ Jungkook’s face was still morphed with emotion when he looked at you, but before he could reply, Namjoon came rushing back in. You jumped back slightly when he rushed up to you. Old habits die hard. Namjoon caught on and immediately held the ice bag out to you.
‘here, hold it on your neck, or do you want Jungkook to help you?’ He gestured towards the younger boy when he saw you hesitate.
‘N-no. I can do it myself.’ You snatched the bag and winced when the chill hit your skin. You suddenly felt hyper aware of both men’s gaze on you. You blushed slightly and looked away.
‘Can I go to my room please?’
‘Y-yeah. You don’t need to ask.’ Jungkook frowned as he watched you basically run  away. It really seemed like you were back t square one after you’d began to make such good progress.
As soon as they heard the door close, Namjoon immediatley turned towards Jungkook.
‘Kook-‘
‘Don’t say anything hyung, I’m really not in the mood tonight.’ Jungkook rolled his eyes and got up, giving one last stressed wipe over his face with his hand.
‘It’s just... Are you really sure about this? It’s obvious she needs some... extra attention.’ He was trying to be as delicate as possible, so as to not escalate the situation anymore than it already had.
‘I know what I’m doing hyung.’
‘Could have fooled me.’ Namjoon scoffed. Jungkook balled his fists as rage began to build up once again.
‘She was getting better hyung, we were making progress! Then I think I spooked her by bringing Tae here...’ Namjoon was stunned silent by the sudden outburst, not expecting such an emotional response from the usually level headed man.
‘This is all my fault...’ Jungkook trailed off in a whisper.
Namjoon hadn’t been convinced by the whole hybrid situation to begin with. He was sure Jungkook would be over it after a day or two. But looking at him now, he’d been in a panic when he couldn’t find you... He knew he’d already struck a deep bond with you, especially since he was willing to give up whatever free time he had for you.
Jungkook was defeated. He really didn’t know what to do to fix the situation he was sure he caused.
‘Why don’t you talk to her before you jump to conclusions?’ Namjoon hadn’t missed the way you’d hidden behind Jungkook when you’d been bought home, so he knew there must be more at play here.
Namjoon left not long after, knowing that his presence was no longer required, now that you were home and safe.
Jungkook had decided to give you space for the rest of the night, and you would talk in the morning. Though as Jungkook lay in bed, he found himself unable to sleep, still thinking about the days events.
He knew you also weren’t sleeping. The light coming from under your door and the sounds of light shuffling were the give away.
He sat up in bed and let out a deep breath before determinedly walking to your door and knocking.
‘Y/N? I know you’re awake. Do you think we can talk now?’ You were startled by the sudden knock, not expecting to have to face Jungkook till the morning.
You’d been drawing on your tablet when he knocked. Since your first night there, using the tablet to draw was one of your favourite activities to help you relax. You weren’t great right now, having never used one before, but with time you hoped to get better. When you didn’t answer, he continued.
‘I’m coming in, ok?’ You didn’t oppose, just turned back round to face your screen.
‘Oh, are you drawing again?’ He asked curiously and came up behind you, placing his hand on the back of your chair.
‘Hey that’s pretty good! You’re getting better with this thing already!’
‘I’m doing what you said and making art for your walls.’ He laughed lightly and couldn’t help but smile.
‘Awesome! I’ll make sure to get some good frames then!’ You were both quiet for a moment as he watched you work over your shoulder.
‘Can we talk about why you left now?’ He looked at you expectantly, not wanting to take no for an answer. Your eyes darted away nervously. You knew you didn’t have a choice but to confess you feelings to him. It was either that or let him be miserable until you went to him on your own.
‘I know you regret adopting me.’ You mumbled, trying to hold back tears as you focused on the tablet in front of you. Jungkook stood up straight and stared down at you. He couldn’t believe the words that came out of your mouth. His own mouth just hung open, unable to form words.
‘I know you’re annoyed I won’t meet your friends, or that you can’t have your dog here...’ The tears were now rolling down your cheeks, but you didn’t want to look at him, so you continued drawing, despite your hand shaking like crazy.
After a moment, Jungkook reached out and placed his hand over yours, stopping your movements. He kneeled down next to your chair, looking up at you.
‘Hey, look at me.’ You looked over through a curtain of your hair.
‘I need you to understand that I don’t regret anything when it comes to you.’ Jungkook was desperate. He wanted you to see that he really did want you here. You sniffled and pushed your hair behind your ear.
‘What about your friends? Or dog?’
‘We’ll go at your pace!’ He immediately jumped in. ‘I’ll make sure you know before anyone comes over so you can choose what to do, and Bam can come back when you’re more settled!’ He stood up and gently started to pet the sensitive ears on top of your head. You bowed your head to allow him better access, silently enjoying the contact.
‘Are you sure I’m not in trouble?’
‘1000% You’re not.’ With that, you leaned forwards in your chair to wrap your arms round his waist and cry into his stomach.
‘It’s ok. You’re ok.’ He whispered softly as he continued to pet your head.
‘Can I sleep in bed with you tonight?’ Jungkook’s hand stilled on your head and he was hesitant to say yes. He didn’t have any intentions, but he didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable or pressured by sharing a bed with him...
‘I just don’t want to be alone...’ You trailed off, looking up to him with sad eyes.
Jungkook sighed. He couldn’t say no to those eyes.
‘Ok. If that’s what you want, I don’t mind.’
Jungkook had fallen asleep some time ago, laying on his back and head tilted to the side. You lay in the dark room, staring at him from your position on the bed. Just now was the first time you’d gotten to properly look over your ‘owner.’ He had a handsome face, that much was obvious, but what really intrigued you was the tattoo’s that covered his right arm.
You couldn’t stop your fingers from reaching out and tracing over the delicate lines on his skin. You reached his hand and you could just about make out the words on his knuckles in the darkness. ARMY.
You frowned, not knowing what the word could mean to him.
You snuggled up against his arm an closed your eyes. Tomorrow you would look him up and finally find out who he really was.
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